Weak
by MT Pocketts
Summary: During the preliminary matches of the Chuunin Exam, Gaara is completely uninterested. But then he sees someone he can relate too. They both know the same pain, and they will be strong their own way. [GaaXIno, plenty of Spoilers, rated T to be safe]
1. Tattered and Torn

"**Weak"**

by MT Pocketts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or Gaara, or Ino.

_Dedicated to **Amber Lust**._

xXxXx

Chapter 1: Tattered and Torn 

Gaara had no interest in these matches that were going to cut the remaining ninjas in half. He only stood silent and pensive, waiting for his turn. The only match other than his own that he found even mildly amusing was between two girls from Konoha, one blond and the other with pink hair. There was something unique about that blonde that somehow captured his attention. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her, even if she wasn't that great of a ninja.

As their fight progressed, he realized what it was: she was hurting inside as well. This girl, Yamanaka Ino, had lost the friendship of the pink-haired girl over some boy who was now standing on the sidelines. The fight now had Gaara's full attention, he wasn't the only one out there looking to prove themselves after a loss.

But then the match ended in a tie. Both kunoichi fell flat on their backs, knocked out by twin punches, and had to be carried out of the arena. Gaara shook his head ever so slightly and studied the blonde's face as she was carried away.

"Weak," he muttered.

The crimson haired boy lazily watched the screen for the next match as the girls were carried out to be given medical treatment. He snorted as another Konoha ninja was called in to face a Sound ninja. Gaara's expression never changed as the leaf village ninja started winning.

He slowly turned and walked away, much to his sibling's surprise. Temari glared at him momentarily before turning back to the fight. Kankuro growled and was about to yell at his brother until he saw the sign next to the doorway Gaara had just passed through. Naturally, it said 'restrooms' and had an arrow pointing in the appropriate direction.

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," Kankuro shrugged his shoulders.

"Gaara passed through the hall without interruption, even the mice seemed to scurry away from his very presence. He found the restrooms easily and headed back to the arena before long, shouts from onlookers helping to guide him. Much to his surprise, Gaara saw the blonde come into the hallway and head towards the gallery to watch with her team. As with all the others, she seemed to sense that he was there.

She turned slowly to look over her shoulder, curious blue eyes meeting deathly pale ones. A shiver went through the girl's thin form as his gaze was locked onto hers. She felt the urge to run for the safety of her team, but something kept her glued to the spot. He was a very dangerous Sand-nin, and she couldn't break that gaze to save her life.

"Hello," She said, her voice breaking ever so slightly, something rare for Yamanaka Ino. He simply stared back at her coldly, increasing the tension with every second. Time passed like it was nothing, and neither made a move to leave.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Gaara asked in a low tone. If Ino hadn't been so scared, she might have been surprised at the empathy leaking into his deep voice. She just blinked at him, her fear slowly bleeding away with his words. His eyes roved over her form, taking in the bandages on her arms and the scratches on her face. Even tatter and torn she was still beautiful.

He waited for a response, and sighed inwardly as she did nothing. Gaara moved closer and she flinched, expecting him to hurt her. He couldn't really blame her, she'd been hurt before and he was reputed for his deadly actions. Still, for some reason he didn't want this girl he felt connected with to fear him, it had been so long since he'd felt something like this. It was a pain he'd forgotten, and he wanted to feel it again.

"Pain, right here," He gently reached out to her, this time she didn't move as he placed a hand over her heart. Not touching her anywhere that would earn him a slap, Gaara allowed his hand to rest there. He felt her warm heartbeat quicken at the contact.

"Something no medic can heal," Ino watched his expression, slowly beginning to understand him. How was it that the most deadly person she'd ever met could also be the most gentle?

"You're weak," Gaara's hand dropped away suddenly. Ino stepped back in surprise and clasped her hands together over her heart, right where his had been. She watched him as he turned to go back to the arena, that strange connection toying with her mind. Ino scowled at his back and looked away. Finally someone knew how she felt, about how it hurt to not have Sakura as a friend anymore. Now he was leaving and reminding her of her inability to beat her rival. When she heard Gaara's footsteps stop, she looked up to see his cold eyes watching her over his shoulder. Ino felt tears slip out her eyes, she hadn't even felt them coming.

"The day you can kill that feeling is the day you grow strong," He looked away again.

"You're wrong," Ino looked at where he stood, her trademark smirk on her face. "I promise you, someday I'll prove that feelings can make you stronger."

"He watched her coolly and turned back to the arena, disappearing into the light. Ino smiled, their silent bet had been made and she intended to win. Somehow, she would show him that this pain they shared could be useful, no matter how long it took her to do it.


	2. Protection

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Warning:** Several spoilers mixed in with scenarios that won't/didn't happen.

Chapter 2: Protection 

She didn't get much of a chance to see Gaara after that day. When the finalists were chosen to fight each other she prayed desperately that Shikamaru wouldn't have to face Gaara. Ino was relieved when it was only Temari he would have to go up against, but of course she couldn't show that side of herself.It felt like everything was a blur after that. Before they knew it, Sand had attacked. Then it had really been Orochimaru all along, then Naruto defeated Gaara. It was a truth that couldn't be denied as Sasuke had been the one to tell the tale. While Ino was glad someone brought down that arrogant bastard, meaning Gaara, she still needed to show him strength her own way. It had to be her for the promise to be kept, because a loved one hadn't betrayed Naruto. Not like one had Gaara and Ino.

Gaara knew this too. Even as he returned to help Konoha try and rescue Sasuke, and even when he got Temari from that dreaded hospital. Seeing the blonde there comforting her teammates put her in a new light. Ino hadn't been strong enough to go along with, but now she was their pillar of strength as they recovered from the incident. She intrigued him like no other person ever had. When Gaara found Temari at the hospital, Shikamaru and Ino had been there too. Cold blue eyes met determined sapphire pools, their bet was still on. And would go on for several more years.

_Two and a half years later…_

_(A/N: Basically, that gap in the series)_

_Sakura had trained under Tsunade, becoming a very talented medic. The Sand and Konoha maintained a useful alliance. Naruto had been gone for training with Jiraiya, but came back after his two year absence. The organization Akatsuki is still-hunting down jinchuuriki; humans with demons sealed inside of them. Gaara, the current Kazekage, had been taken by a blonde ninja who used exploding works of 'art'. The Kazekage was taken down when a large explosive was aimed at the city and he diverted his sand to protect them from the blast. The Akatsuki ninja took advantage of this and was able to knock Gaara out._

_xXxXx_

_'So he's Kazekage, big deal,'_ Ino threw a shuriken into her target perfectly_, 'Now quit thinking about him.'_ Over the years she'd managed to get a few tips from Tenten, and her aim had improved dramatically. It also helped that she had a specific goal in mind. Pulling out three kunai, she silently took in the targets around her. With a spin, she hit two targets perfectly and the third hit on the very edge. '_Why is it always that one on the left?'_

"Hey, Ino," She heard a voice call out and turned to see who it was. Shikamaru was coming into the clearing wearing his usual jounin outfit. It still surprised her that one as lazy as him made it that far, but she supposed mission failure had changed them all somehow and he took leadership more seriously. Temari wasn't following him for once, and Ino was surprised. The two had been friends since their match, and now they had to work together. It was one of Ino's favorite things to tease Shikamaru about.

"Hey," Ino greeted. "Where's Temari?"

"Look, something kind of serious came up in the Sand," He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "The Kazekage's been kidnapped…"

Ino stared back at him in disbelief. He had to be messing with her. Was it April fool's day? Was Chouji about to leap out of the bushes with a camera? The only person who could possibly do so was Naruto, and that noisy ninja wouldn't even dream of it.

"Yes, they feigned an attack on the village to draw his sand away…"Shikamaru sighed, answering her unasked question. He knew he would lose time explaining it to her. "Anyway, I need a three man team. I want you because we may need to get information."

"I'm coming," Ino strode confidently past him, he was surprised he didn't have to convince her. For some reason he couldn't understand she had a weird thing about being near Gaara. The last time they'd actually seen him was at the hospital and the atmosphere was tense, so Shikamaru hadn't expected her to come along easily but this worked out fine. It meant less work for him.

The third member of their team was Chouji once again, like the good old times. It was a well -rounded team. They had brute strength, brains, and a reconnaissance expert. They ran towards the Sand as fast as they could, cutting the length of thew trip in half.

Ino suddenly stopped at a random spot in the forest, sensing a familiar chakra. She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. That sixth sense that her mother had always told her to listen to. She knew that chakra, and it was in trouble.

"WAIT!" She cried, turning on her heel and darting to the side.

"Ino, what the hell-" Shikamaru said in annoyance, until his sensed the other chakras. One of them was not human, which could only mean two people and either one of the possibilities would be in need of help.

xXxXx

Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Temari had been on hot pursuit of Gaara's kidnappers until a team of Akatsuki underlings stopped them. Instead of weeding them apart like most would have, they kept the whole group there, fighting different battles. Whatever their strategy was, it was working.

Sakura slammed a fist into the tree trunk next to her, sending a crack through the whole tree and causing branches to fall around her. Not only did this stall her attacker but Temari's too. The Sand-nin took the opportunity to swing her fan, and a mighty gust dazed their opponents.

"Temari, go get him! We'll keep them busy!" Sakura yelled, and the blonde looked back with a nod of understanding. With that, she took off at a run. Sakura sighed as she watched her go. The mission mattered, and Temari could take care of it. Besides, from the looks of things, Naruto wouldn't be far behind her. His attacker was already scratched all over and was about to foolishly charge the boy, he would soon know what rasengan felt like.

Sakura yelped in surprise as one of them came up behind her and seized her by the neck. Thinking fast, Sakura focused her chakra and cut off the circulation to the man's hand. He muttered a string of curses as the useless hand dropped his weapon, and Sakura came around with a roundhouse kick. She smiled as she remembered how she learned it; Lee had been happy to show her a few useful taijutsu techniques.

The fight took a turn for the worse. Kakashi had received another cut on his face, one that would likely leave another scar. Naruto's opponent had a few aces up his sleeve, and Naruto reluctantly had to borrow the Nine Tail's chakra. Sakura managed to beat one of hers by using medical jutsu to damage internal organs, but the other was no where to be found.

"Sakura-chan!" She heard Naruto scream, she looked over at him. He was panicked and looking to her right. Sakura turned to where he was looking, but it was too late. She couldn't react as the man ran a sword through-

"INO!" A voice yelled. Sakura could barely even recognize it as her own. The blonde held a sword steadily in both hands, deflecting the one driven through her off to the side, thus preventing a hit to any vital organs. The hands holding the sword were the only part of her not quivering. The attacker pulled out his sword and prepared for a second assault. Ino raised her sword, ready to defend her friend. The man charged, and-

"You really shouldn't try when you're so outnumbered," Came Shikamaru's lazy drawl. "It gets too troublesome." The man was caught in his shadow bind, and Ino took the chance to run the man through with her sword. She pulled back after delivering the fatal blow and Shikamaru let the body drop off of the tree. Chouji had jumped into Kakashi's battle, smashing the underling into a tree brutally. Ino watched the man fall as though it was in slow motion.

That had been her first kill.

Ino fell backward against Sakura. Sakura took a hold of her gently and sat down with Ino in her lap. Shikamaru knelt next to them, brushing a hair out of his friend's face. "Will she be okay?" Shikamaru asked calmly.

"She's going to be fine, thankfully she managed to deflect it to where it wouldn't cause too much harm," Sakura said and calmly pulled away the bloody fabric so she could reach the wound. If there was ever a person's life to save, one of the top three medics was definitely a good choice.

"Then I'm going to help Naruto," Shikamaru got up and ran over to the continuing battle.

"This may hurt a bit," Sakura warned Ino as she pressed her chakra into her. Ino felt the warmth go through her cells. It slowly put things back where they belonged, correcting the damage from the inside out. Ino closed her eyes as the tender flesh was wound together once more. The wound was deep, but other than that it would be fine. That was the nice thing about sword injuries, they just went straight through and didn't cause additional damage. Ino winced slightly as Sakura began to pull the muscle tissue together. It was like having someone stabbing her with multiple knifes at once.

"Ino…" Sakura asked as she finished up her work, sealing the skin back together. Ino closed her eyes and sighed with relief. "Why did you do that?"

"We…We were friends… weren't we?" Ino said, her breathing still somewhat choppy. "I'd like to think that… Even if we fight now and then… We're still here for each other…"

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. It wasn't that she was sad, Ino was fine. It was just that what she said… Well, it was probably one of the nicest things Sakura ever heard. Ino's eyes cracked open slightly, and she smirked up at the teary eyed girl. A few bangs in the background told them that the other's had wrapped up their fight.

"That was your first time, wasn't it?" Sakura asked shyly. Ino muttered a 'yes' and Sakura swallowed hard. It was always worst the first time.

"Thank you, Ino-chan," Sakura smiled. Ino nodded and sat up slowly. "You'll be tender for awhile. Try not to over do it or it might open up again."

"Thanks, forehead girl," Ino winked playfully. The others had finished their small battle and were now gathering around the two girls.

"Hey Ino, are you alright?" Ino was surprised to see Naruto looking at her with concern. Then again, she had just saved the life of his teammate. Ino nodded and he gave her a foxy grin.

"Kakashi, let me look at that," Sakura pointed to the gash on his face.

"I'm fine, and you're low on chakra," Kakashi put simply.

"Wait…"Chouji spoke up and they all watched as he dug through his pack. He finally pulled out a little box of pills, handing one of them to Sakura. "Here, Sakura. It replenishes chakra."

"Thank you Chouji," She smiled at him sweetly. He couldn't really help but smile back. Ino felt the familiar tug to remember that detail for later to use when teasing, but she ignored it. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time for that. Sakura took the pill and Kakashi reluctantly sat down for her to heal his face. As soon as possible, they all went back on their hunt for Gaara.

Before long, they found themselves at a large cave. Temari had already gotten in, so now it was just a matter of being her back up.

Even though Ino knew Gaara would be in bad shape after his ordeal, nothing prepared her for what she saw. All of the leaf ninjas stopped and took a battle stance. Ino swallowed the lump in her throat and drew out four kunai, preparing as well. Temari managed to stop whatever jutsu they were using to try and retrieve Shukaku from Gaara, now she was basically terrorizing the Akatsuki members who hadn't fled to regroup. There's a saying that goes 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. Well this was one angry Sand jounin and she was definitely raising hell.

"Sakura! Take care of Gaara," Kakashi commanded as he and the others went out to help Temari.

"Ino, stay back and keep them away from her!" Shikamaru added, running directly to cover Temari's back. Ino frowned at her order but gritted her teeth and did so. She tried hard not to look at Gaara, the sight still upset her. Sakura set straight to work, and Ino took the opportunity to survey the area. The others were doing well to keep the Akatsuki away. No one came anywhere close.

"Ino, I know this is rude of me," Sakura sounded desperate. "But can I please use your hair as a medium?"

"What? Why mine?" Ino turned around, eyeing Sakura with suspicion.

"He doesn't have enough," Sakura pointed out. "And mines not only too short but it's easier to use someone else's."

"Fine but we'll be open to attack," Ino bent down so Sakura could have the hair.

"It'll only be a moment," Sakura took it quickly. The angle at which she was bent offered Ino an only too good look at how Gaara was faring. And she did not like what she saw.

Gaara of the Sand, possibly the strongest and most dangerous man she'd ever met, was cracked. Literally everywhere. Pieces of his protective sand barrier were eroding away, and Ino could only imagine how they'd managed to do that to him. The only person she'd heard had defeated him was Naruto and well… Naruto seemed to have an abundance of sheer, dumb luck. But this… Someone had to be either incredibly tricky or incredibly strong to be able to do this to him. Ino felt tears tickling the edge of her eyes and she blinked them away. _'Why am I crying? It can't be for him?'_ Ino wiped her eyes hurriedly. She didn't need Sakura noticing that she was tearing up, though the pink haired medic was too preoccupied with her patient.

"Thanks Ino that'll do for now" Sakura said, breaking the blonde from her thoughts. Ino nodded absent-mindedly and tore her gaze from Gaara. Why was she feeling like this anyway? So he had touched her, not in a bad way, years ago. He probably didn't even remember her, or that promise they made. But for some reason, she did. She thought about it whenever she trained, it was a goal of sorts for her, an objective. She would become strong to protect those she cared for, and she would be strong for those who betrayed her just to show that even if she was hurting she wasn't broken.

Ino finally pushed the thoughts away when one of the remaining Akatsuki decided to try and get Gaara back. Ino smirked as he came at her, two kunai ready in each hand. The man pulled out a katana and Ino crouched lower for a better defensive pose. She was ready to strike and-

-He was gone.

"Damn!" Ino yelled and whipped around, expecting to see him ready to grab the others. He wasn't there either. It suddenly hit her, just as the hand grabbed her ankle. He came up through the ground and held her up by the ankle. She twisted around and buried both kunai deep in his side. He dropped her with a shout and she bounced away, landing protectively in front of Gaara and Sakura.

"That hurt, bitch!" He shouted at her, revealing dripping yellow teeth. He had a scratched Water country forehead protector, so she guessed his odd appearance was due to whatever clan he was from. His hair was green and had various plants growing from it. The sight made her wish she could go home and scrub her own locks. (A/N: Yes an OC but I don't know any of the others to write them well enough.) "But I guess it'll make this more fun," He said and vines grew from his head. Ino dodged them as they tried to grab at her, and slashed any that came near the others viciously.

He yelled once more as she took off the main trunk of an entire vine. Apparently they were attached, she felt a smirk ready to crawl onto her face but she pushed it away. This was not a good time to get arrogant. This was evident as she found herself caught once more.

"You know, you're pretty," He had finally managed to pull her up by the ankle again, this time tightening his grip and no doubt leaving a bruise. He pulled her close, just close enough for her to smell his horrible breath but far enough to prevent attack. "If you weren't such a hard nose I'd have more than just a little fun with you," He raised his horrible eyebrows suggestively.

"I'd rather die," She cut herself loose with a shuriken. For once she had made a good hit on the left side. Ino jumped right back up, ready to defend when he was gone again. "Oh God…" She realized when she couldn't see him and leapt upward using chakra to go higher in hopes of avoiding his hand. Instead, his vines completely wrapped her up. They had a range she never could have managed against.

"You've been entertaining, but I think I'm ready to try that medic on for size," He laughed at her and squeezed to emphasize his words. "You said you'd rather die. I'll just grant that wish for you-"

She took the opening the second she saw it. His mistake: taking the time to be so condescending with her. The Shintenshin no jutsu saved her once again. Ino's body went limp as she took over his mind, and she managed to slowly lower her own body to the ground. Now she'd had enough practice to be able to not only control them for five minutes, but now she could make them do things as she left. Thus, not injuring her own body in the process. She made him pick up his katana, and held it to his throat. As she returned to her body, the Akatsuki member slit his own throat. Her second kill, not even a whole day after the first.

Ino jerked her body up again immediately, and clutched her side with a grimace. She looked down to see the blood on her hands. That dumb ass had made her reopen the wounds. '_Sakura, you'd better be worth this,'_ Ino thought in annoyance, still believing she was defending the pink-haired girl. It was almost too late when she saw the next one coming at her.

"Ino!" Shikamaru noticed only seconds after she did. The last Akatsuki member there was making a last, vain attempt for Gaara. And of course Ino was standing right in the way.

She made a desperate attempt to gather weapons for a defense. Ino felt incredibly stupid, she sucked with weapons. This was the end because no one here was close enough to help her. Yamanaka Ino knew she was about to die. And why? Because she was trying to be strong for those she cared about. She had believed that when you have someone to protect you are truly strong. Ino felt grief hit her. She was wrong, she was weak.

The man came at her in slow motion now. Is this what dying is like? She had never told Sakura why she was hurt. How she had really made her feel. She had never shown Gaara how she could be strong because of her feelings. And now she was dying to protect both of them.

'_Wait…Both of them?'_ Ino realized, the man inches from her now and she raised her weapons to keep him from hitting anywhere major and to try at a counter attack_. 'Yeah…Even without her there I would have defended him…Why? Is it because I…'_ It was then that Ino took one last swing, still fully expecting death to take her.

Then, the sand came.


	3. Then The Sand Came

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**A/N:** I'm glad I got the idea for this. The pairing seemed weird at first, but now I really like it. Long live odd couples!

_Chapter 3: Then, the Sand Came_

It encircled around the man's waist before either of them could blink. He had been carelessly tossed aside, and then surrounded in sand. The Akatsuki man realized in horror whom he was now dealing with at the same time as everyone else saw it. Ino heard footsteps approaching slowly behind her. Her heart flipped as she realized who it was.

Ino turned and saw a very tired and very angry Kazekage standing to her left. At the sight of him her various injuries ached. The years of a pain they shared seemed to well up in her again at the sight of him next to her. Sakura was standing back, also looking tired but seeming shocked that he was taking to battle again so soon.

"Akatsuki filth," Gaara glared at the man trapped by his sand, allowing the face to be seen. Everyone else just stood and watched in awe. "I know you…You're the one who dropped the bomb on my village and took me… You're lower than scum." _'You were going to hurt her…'_

Ino stared in shock at the man trapped by Gaara's sand. This man, who she had just attempted to block, was the one who had subdued Gaara? It didn't seem possible, at the moment he just looked so… Weak.

Then again, most people who were wrapped up in his sand didn't look particularly honorable, brave or strong. They were just helpless people about to die, and it usually looked like they knew it too.

It wasn't long before the man was totally wrapped up in sand. The leaf shinobi turned away, knowing a desert funeral was about to follow. But Ino couldn't look away, she felt oddly entranced by the sight of the sand imploding on Gaara's kidnapper. She felt a sense of justice as the blood spattered in a small circle. Gaara remained as stoic as he had before, and Ino just stood there next to him as the sand slowly crept back to him. She felt comfortable as she stood next to him, like she belonged there.

Ino finally looked back up at him, and saw that Sakura had done a good job as usual. His cracking barrier was now patched up and he looked normal. Well, as normal as Gaara could look. Something about his eyes drew her in. Maybe it was that it looked like her had eyeliner on, maybe it was that they always seemed so cold, or maybe it was that she didn't know many other people with blue eyes. He never once returned her gaze, despite knowing that it was directed at him.

Whatever it was, she didn't have long to think about it. Gaara passed out, and Ino instinctively caught him before he hit the ground. Sakura immediately came up behind him and they gently placed him on the ground with his head resting on Ino's lap, seeing as that was how he'd fallen.

"He's still exhausted, they put him through a lot," Sakura explained and sighed as she stood. "We'll have to get him back quickly. I can't do anything else for him."

"Alright, thank you Sakura," Temari walked over and took her brother from Ino's arms. Ino sat there stunned for a moment. Had she really just had Gaara in her lap? And why did it feel so cold now, right where he had been? Ino shook the thoughts away and saw everyone starting to leave.

Sakura offered Ino a hand up, which she took gratefully.

xXxXx

The Sand welcomed them back, and they were all given a place to rest and recover. Sakura chose to stay close to Gaara and Kankuro, who had been poisoned trying to get Gaara back, so that she could treat them. Ino found herself staying with Shikamaru and Chouji, just like when they'd had to go on missions when they were younger. She found the familiarity comforting in a way.

She found herself periodically checking in with Sakura. The medic really did outdo herself sometimes. More than once she'd had to forcibly coax the girl to sleep. Occasionally even Kankuro would help her by tricking Sakura into checking a wound so that she would hold still and Ino could use her jutsu.

One day she came in and Sakura wasn't anywhere to be seen. Ino looked around curiously, and was about to duck back out until she heard a familiar voice.

"I made her catch up on some rest," Gaara said emotionlessly. "She was low on chakra."

"Oh… I see," Ino nodded and turned to leave.

"You can stay if you want," He said, his tone impossible to read. She instead tried his eyes, the pale blues that held so much hidden so deep down. There was nothing to see there either.

Ino came into the room and sat on a chair at a table across from their hospital beds. Gaara simply stared at her as she moved. This coming from anyone other than Gaara might have been flattering, but now it was downright uncomfortable. She let out a soft sigh and glanced over at his brother's bed.

"He sleeps like a log," Gaara answered the unasked question. Ino looked at him quizzically, not really understanding why he was so talkative today. It was strangely dark in the room, making it harder to read his already blank expressions, but somehow she liked it that way.

"…Thanks," She muttered and he actually looked confused. It was probably the closest thing to an emotion she'd ever seen on his face.

"For what?"

"You saved my life, with the sand."

"Just returning the favor," He leaned back in his bed, one arm over his stomach. Until then she hadn't noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, but there were bandages covering most of his chest. "I'm guessing at least one of them came at you when you were defending me and the medic."

"Yes," She answered, unconsciously turning her injured ankle. Gaara's gaze followed the movement, and he saw the bruise showing around where her covered her ankle. He felt an odd interest stir within as he looked at her injury. It was like he wanted to run his hand over it, make her hurt. Make her hurt just so she knew he was there, yet at the same time he wanted to crush who ever did that to her.

"That's what happens when you fight with emotions," He said plainly, to get her talking. He didn't like where his thoughts were taking him.

"True," Ino nodded. "But I'm still here to tell the tale." Gaara studied her features as she said this. There was an odd air of confidence about her that he didn't quite understand. Her blonde forelock hid one of her eyes from his view and he frowned. He liked her eyes, he wanted to see both of them but he wasn't about to tell her to push her hair behind her ear. It wasn't the same as ordering the medic to go get some sleep.

"Still coming up short on your side I see," Gaara pointed out. He wouldn't admit it, but her promise had been on his mind a lot, especially lately. He'd been captured because he saved his village.

"Not like you're doing any better," Ino smiled at the fact that he'd remembered their deal. She felt a touch of courage and walked over to his bed, sitting on his right side. "At least both of the people I got hurt for turned around and saved my life."

Gaara watched her coolly. This girl was impressive, first she'd been willing to stay when he said she could, then she'd come to sit by him, and now this. It appeared that whatever fear she'd held for him years ago had bled away at last, he felt strangely thankful for it.

"Where?" Gaara asked, implying that she show him, and Ino looked back at him grimly. Why does he want to see? His gaze, for once, seemed to answer her. It was the same as it was all that time ago. He had felt her pain, and he wanted to see what it had physically inflicted on her.

"Well, first and foremost, here," Ino placed a hand over her heart. He knew what she meant by this gesture, and didn't ask. Instead, Gaara reached out a hand towards her. She pulled hers back, allowing his to rest directly over her heart. He felt her heartbeat quicken at the contact, just like last time. Instead of staring back stupidly this time, Ino threaded her fingers through his and rested her hand over his. He was surprised at how warm it felt, as it was something else he hadn't felt in so long. Ino sensed his interest, and continued.

"And, right before we got to you," She raised her shirt with the other hand. His eyes widened, and she smirked at this. It was cute in a weird way. "Sakura would have gotten this through the middle, but I managed to deflect it when I was hit." Ino showed him the place where the katana had pierced her. He ran his other hand over the scar, the touch sent a shiver through her. If Gaara had noticed it he didn't let on.

"A katana?" He asked.

"Yeah," She answered. Gaara's eyes met hers again, curious blue eyes meeting cold, pale orbs.

Her warmth seemed to melt his cold exterior, and he felt that connection with her returning tenfold. They both knew pain, they'd both been betrayed and they'd both been seriously injured in the defense of others. But there had to be something else to it. It was too simple, everyone had to have been hurt somehow. With Ino there was more than just the pain, there was…hope? Gaara couldn't figure out what it was. But she was right there to help him find out.

Gaara couldn't look away from her eyes, and he let the hand that was resting on her chest slide up to cup her chin. Ino never broke the eye contact, but she easily found herself leaning towards him. His hands were surprisingly warm, and she wanted to know how the rest of him felt. Their faces were inches apart, he could feel her hot breath teasing him. Her eyes began to flutter closed and Gaara felt warmth radiating from her, as he had never felt before. Their lips barely touched, and then there was a loud noise.

Ino jumped back, looking around to see what had caused the sound. Gaara looked annoyed, she couldn't figure out if it was because the moment was over or because someone had the nerve to disturb him at all. She would never know that it was because he'd just wanted to be warm. And to him, she was the only source of warmth.

There was a sound again, and they relaxed as it turned out to be someone knocking at the door. Ino straightened out her clothes just in time, as Gaara had shouted for the interrupter to either come in or go away. Much to Ino's disappointment, they came in.

"There have been some developments relating to Akatsuki-" One of them began but paused upon seeing the girl on the edge of Gaara's bed. _'Wait… He was actually with a girl?'_

"And?" Gaara reminded the man, glaring in annoyance.

"I'm sorry miss, you should probably step out," The man said to Ino. She looked over at Gaara for confirmation and he nodded.

"Go on, Ino," Gaara looked away as he said it. She felt slightly dejected as she rose and walked out of the room, hearing faint voices muttering behind her when the door closed. It wouldn't be until later that she realized it was the first time he'd actually used her name.


	4. Cold

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.  
**Author's Note:** I'm so happy people are liking this, I've gotten carried away with it. Has anyone caught my little hints about their relationship yet? Notice that Gaara is almost always on her left side... Anyway, I did a pic to go with the scene in the cave where the sand saves Ino, you can see it here: http // www . deviant art . com / deviation / 31337236 / (without the spaces).

_Chapter 4: Cold_

Gaara listened to the political ramblings with little interest. He went with the general opinion of what his advisors said, as he had nothing else to go on and was in no shape to argue. He found himself angry with them for coming to him at all and finally asked them to leave so that he could rest again.

He didn't really want to sleep. He just wanted them gone, and for her to come back. Why was she the only person who could actually make him feel something? That moment they had just shared, he knew it was yet another thing that would be on his mind for quite some time. Gaara groaned as he laid back, one spot on his right side seeming particularly sore. He had trouble falling asleep again, he felt so cold.

She walked back to her room, as thoughts turned around in her head. How could she have let that happen? Ino couldn't figure out why she had come so close to Gaara. It had been too close for comfort, he was someone who killed at will after all. But then why had it felt like part of her had wanted to? Someone as powerful as him probably had no use for a weak kunoichi like her anyway. He had probably been toying with her, seeing what he could make her do. The thought pushed tears to her eyes.

If there was one person in the world who knew how she hurt after losing Sakura as a friend, it was Gaara. Now he was just toying with her. Ino wouldn't deny that there was something that had made her come help Gaara. She just didn't want to admit what that something was.

"Hey Ino-"Shikamaru started when she came in but stopped abruptly at the look on her face. "Are you okay?"

Ino swallowed hard and looked at her teammate's faces. Chouji had paused from his bag of potato chips to look at her, and Temari was there too, looking at her with concern. Just great, she was probably crying.

"I'm fine," Ino went to the small table where they had a bowl of fruit and took an apple. It felt better having something in her hand. "I just need some sleep."

"Well, we're leaving tomorrow morning. Konoha needs as many of us at home as can be spared," Shikamaru said. "Kakashi's team is staying behind."

"They'd have to drug Sakura to get her out of here anyway," Ino smiled emotionlessly, taking a bite of her apple. "I'm going to bed." Shikamaru nodded to her as she made her way to her separate room and closed the door behind her.

"Think she's okay?" Chouji wondered and Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. Temari said nothing, but she suspected it had to do with a visit to Gaara. She had never seen him just come up and stand next to someone during battle like that before, and the blonde had been completely calm about it. Something was going on.

In her room, Ino closed the blinds and admired the deep orange color they cast the room in. She finished her apple as she sat on the edge of the bed. The room seemed oddly quiet and empty as she changed into her pajamas. Ino winced as the stab wound was twisted in a bad way, and she rubbed it gently. If it hadn't been so deep it would be fine by now, but she knew it would stop hurting soon enough.

She crawled into her bed and her eyes drifted closed lazily as she thought about what had happened earlier. She felt so cold now, and drew the blankets closer around her.

xXxXx

The room seemed so much brighter now, no longer the deep orange it had been while his visitors were there the night before. Voices were muffled but slowly became clearer as he woke up. Gaara slowly remembered being in the hospital wing, with the council talking to him, and Ino had left so they could talk. He blinked and started to sit upright.

"Oh you're awake," Sakura was immediately by his side and stopped talking to her friends. "Be careful."

"I feel fine," The Kazekage grumbled and looked over to see Kankuro smirking. It was rare for Gaara to appear so weak, and it was funny to see how he disliked it. Gaara looked around the room and saw Kakashi and Naruto seated at the table while Temari was on the edge of Kankuro's bed. Naruto flashed a foxy grin at him, which Gaara was disinclined to return.

"Well you're doing much better," The medic said as she scanned him with chakra. "No more of that internal bleeding." She smiled at him.

"Guess you'll have to go back now, Sakura," Temari smirked. "We can't have you all to ourselves."

"Yes, we should go. Shikamaru's team already got a head start," Kakashi looked up from the book he'd been reading.

"They left already?" Gaara asked quietly. _'She didn't even say goodbye…'_

"Yeah, so try not to mess up again Gaara. I can't come back and save you every time," Naruto grinned.

"I won't forget it," Gaara came close to smirking back. "Thank you for all of you help Sakura-san, Kakashi-san, and Naruto-kun."

They acknowledged his thanks and left. Gaara didn't watch them go, but instead let his head drop slightly. He stared at his covers and appeared to be brooding over something. His siblings exchanged interested glances, but didn't say anything about his behavior. Something was making Gaara feel again, and he wasn't about to admit what it was.

xXxXx

About a month later… 

Ino worked in the floral shop as usual, but she didn't feel as cheery as she normally would have. She was humming a slightly sad tune as she restocked one of the displays with lilies. There was the usual ding of the bell as someone entered and she ignored it. Usually they needed time to look before they placed an order.

"Hey, uh…Ino?" She heard a familiar voice ask. _'No way'_ she thought. Ino turned around with a smile to see Shikamaru. He stood there looking awkward and out of place.

"Hey Shikamaru," She teased. "Is Mother's Day that close?"

"No…" He frowned at his friend. "I want to get flowers for…for…" He went pink and she wished there were a camera in the shop. Really, it was priceless.

"Just spit it out, Shikamaru. It's okay," Ino laughed. He reddened even more and sighed at her reaction.

"For… Temari," He rolled his eyes as Ino squealed.

"I knew it!" She smirked at him and took a step behind the counter. "So, any idea what to get? Or do you need more help?"

"I need any help I can get," Shikamaru leaned on the counter, seeming overwhelmed by all the flowers. "That's why I'm here."

"Okay, so are you having them delivered or will this be in person?" She asked and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why?"

"I don't want to make you go broke, so we can be tasteful and stay within a sensible price."

"Thanks… Delivered to the Sand, unfortunately."

"We can do that, but it'll be small."

"I don't think anything big would work," He said and Ino smiled at him. Temari didn't seem like the kind of girl who would expect a huge bouquet of balloons and flowers often, but a small flower display occasionally ought to do the trick. And so the blonde behind the counter began to work her magic. Ino came up with a lovely small, arrangement of pastel flowers and some ferns set in a wooden vase. Shikamaru seemed fine with it since it wasn't over the top and even with delivery it was a good price. Then again, it didn't hurt to be friends with the owner's daughter.

In the Sand, a few days later… 

Gaara sat behind his desk, resisting the urge to rest his feet on top of all the paperwork. He felt very bored, and he wished someone had told him about the paperwork that piled up around here. It looked like it would never end. He had even convinced his siblings to help him dig through it since it was a slow day, and it was taking forever. Temari frequently grumbled and tossed wadded up paper into an ever-growing pile.

"You can't do that with all of them," Kankuro glanced up from his own stack.

"Whatever, its just fan mail," She growled back. The room went silent once more, the sound or papers being shuffled now beginning to annoy the trio.

The pile of discarded letters only grew as time wore on. A knock at the door finally gave them an excuse to put the files down and imagine they weren't there.

"Come in," Gaara commanded and a subordinate poked a head into the office.

"Uh, there's a delivery out here…"

"From?…" Gaara sounded annoyed.

"It's from Konoha," He said, sounded like he had to think about it.

"And it's for?…"

"Temari-san," The subordinate said. "Shall I bring it in?"

"Yes, send it in," Gaara looked at Temari from the corner of his eye. She clearly had no idea who would send her something. The subordinate then opened the door the whole way, and walked in. There was silence in the office as he approached carrying a small wooden vase of flowers.

Temari's jaw fell open as he set it in front of her and left. None of the sand siblings moved, they all just sat there staring her vase of flowers. The pastel colors matched her trademark outfit and her eyes. She finally found the card and opened it. Her brothers watched quietly, and then their eyes widened as the most unexpected thing happened.

"Temari? Are you blushing?" Kankuro asked in awe. "Let me see that."

"No!" She pressed it against her chest, and glared daggers at Kankuro.

"It said something about a mission they had…Didn't catch a name," Gaara said. Temari turned even redder as she saw he had the eye of sand right above her.

"Just leave me alone," She said, her face now as red as Gaara's hair.

"Well, he's got good taste," Kankuro gently flicked one of the buds. "Sure he's not gay?"

"He's good friends with the daughter of the shop's owners," Temari answered. "I never expected him to actually go in."

"Gaara, I bet we could figure out this riddle," Kankuro snagged the vase and Temari tried to get it back but was caught with chakra strings. Gaara smirked at their antics. "Let's see… From the 'Yamanaka Floral Shop'… Who do we know who has a friend working there…"

_'Yamanaka?'_ Gaara's eyes widened and he stared at the flowers with more interest now. _'Ino?'_ Temari seemed to notice the look on Gaara's face, and managed to get her flowers back. She then used a small hand fan to blow Kankuro to the other side of the room from her.

"Fine! Nara Shikamaru sent these!" Temari shouted and stormed out of the room. "Happy now?" The door slammed shut behind her. Kankuro got up from his corner and wandered back over to the desk, muttering something about PMS-ing females. Gaara was no longer paying attention, he was thinking about those blue eyes that had fluttered closed only two inches away from him a month ago.

Gaara stood on a ledge over looking their village. It was a part of his room and he found it a rather good place for thinking. He just stood there watching the sunset, it was never cold in their country but he still felt a slight chill. The golden rays seemed to reach out in a comforting way, but they'd never reach him. Would she ever get closer than those two inches?

"Temari, if you're just going to sit there at least come down to the ledge," He turned and glanced up at the roof in annoyance. Temari sat there smirking, not even trying to be innocent about it. Gaara looked away and just stared at the sunset once more. There was a dull thud as Temari jumped down to his left and walked up to the railing. She leaned against the railing calmly, remaining silent for awhile. Gaara vaguely wondered what she was thinking, but knew she would say it soon enough.

"You know, Shikamaru once told me that the most simple things were what he enjoyed the most," Temari started and Gaara listened while still studying the horizon. "And that it seemed that us females liked the more complex." She looked at him carefully, anyone who hadn't known him as long wouldn't know that he was thinking it over silently. Temari sighed and turned back to the view. He was so hard to explain things to.

"Are you saying she's the same way?" Gaara asked quietly.

"No," Temari stood up and started to go back inside. "I think you're both too complex." And with that she just left Gaara to think. Slowly, he went up and leaned on the railing. Across from where he stood was the building the Konoha teams had stayed in. He wondered if Ino had ever taken the time to watch a sunset while she was there.

In Konoha… 

Ino suddenly sneezed and rubbed her nose slightly. At the moment she was heading out to pick up dinner for her and her parents at the Ichiraku. They hadn't felt like cooking and so chose to send her out for food. Her stomach protested as she made her way down the street, passing other restaurants on the way.

She had to talk her way back out again, as Naruto had tried to get her to join him there. Her stomach disagreed but she knew she had to get home. The sun had started to set and she noted how lovely the orange-red rays were over the Hokage monument. When was the last time she'd stopped to look at the sunset? Ino couldn't remember, and so she paused the watch the sun slowly sink beneath the horizon.

Ino felt a sense of warmth and somehow she knew Gaara was somewhere watching the same sunset.

**A/N:** Sorry this one was a little long and boring, but I hope people got the right idea of what I was trying to show between them. Please R&R!


	5. Lost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Author's Note:** Just so you know, this chapter takes place on a Wednesday.

Chapter 5: Lost 

"I'm taking off," Temari yelled from the hallway outside of Gaara's office as she was on her way.

"Where're you going?" Kankuro poked his head out of the office and glared.

"None of your business!" She shot back and continued. As she reached a door it slammed shut. Growling in annoyance she turned to face Kankuro, but then saw Gaara there as well and noticed the trail of sand leading to the door.

"It is my business, now where are you going?" Gaara asked.

"Fine…I'm going to Konoha to see Shikamaru," She frowned at him. "Now can I go?"

"We're coming as well," Gaara began to walk forward and Kankuro grinned wickedly.

"What! Why?" Temari glared at her brothers.

"I have…business there. And I'd rather not just leave him here to be bored," Gaara answered and continued to leave. Temari sighed and fell into step beside Kankuro as they left. Gaara paused only to instruct an advisor on what to do in his absence and then they were gone.

xXx

"Shikamaru, would you relax?" Ino watched him pacing and resisted the urge to laugh. Even Chouji was stifling a giggle behind his bag of chips.

"Sorry," He muttered, seeming on edge more so than usual. "This is all so troublesome…"

"Quit worrying about it and you'll be fine," Ino got up from where she'd been sitting next to Chouji and placed a hand on each of Shikamaru's shoulders. "Temari is coming to see the Shikamaru she's always known. You have nothing to worry about so just relax." He sighed and shook his head.

"Thanks Ino," He grinned slightly and she stepped back.

"Well have a good time, I've got to get to work," Ino said and departed. Her teammates waved after her as she left and Shikamaru took her spot next to Chouji. Leaning back and looking up at the clouds he was able to relax somewhat. Ino was right, it was just Temari. They already knew each other so this was just taking things a step further. Nothing to worry about…right?

"Hey Shika," Chouji stopped eating for a moment.

"Yeah?" He looked away from the clouds for a moment.

"Think she knows that Gaara was coming too?" Chouji asked and ate another handful of chips.

"Probably not…And I bet he wants her to be surprised if anything," Shikamaru looked up at the sky once more. "It still surprises me, but I wonder how it will turn out."

"Yeah," Chouji replied.

xXx

Ino sat idly behind the counter. It was always slowest in the shop on weekdays and she had nothing to keep her occupied today. Her mother came past and smiled at her, which she could only return half-heartedly. The shop just wasn't as fun as it used to be.

"Would you rather restock the flowers, Ino?" Her mother offered and Ino nodded.

Putting fresh flowers on display was at least something to do with her hands. She remembered Shikamaru coming in and asking her to help him find flowers for Temari. Ino glanced at a clock and guessed that he was on his date with Temari by now. She smiled and wondered how the Sand nin had reacted to the small arrangement, or how her siblings had reacted. Ino imagined Kankuro teasing Temari about having an admirer and Gaara...

…Well, what would he have done?

Ino couldn't help but think that she didn't really know much about him. He knew that she's had Sakura betray her, and Ino knew someone had betrayed him. That was about all she really knew about him, aside from his techniques and rank. She knew so little and yet they'd been so close, Ino unconsciously touched her lips as she remembered how close she had been to kissing him. It was a scene that often repeated itself in her dreams, dreams that would usually make her smile the next day. People that saw her on those days always seemed suspicious, wondering what she'd been up to.

Ino was jarred from her thoughts as the bell on the front door chimed and she went back to placing the flowers in an arrangement.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Floral, how can I help you?" Ino's Mother greeted.

"I'm….Looking for Ino," A deep voice said and Ino's eyes widened in surprise. _'It couldn't be…'_

"Ino, someone's here for you," Her Mother spoke loudly in her direction. Ino turned around and sure enough, there was Gaara of the Sand standing at the front counter of Yamanaka Floral. His face was emotionless, but there was something in his demeanor that told her he was happy to see her.

"Gaara," She said and walked up to him. Her mother seemed to give him the once-over but never said anything. "Mom, can I take him out to the garden?"

"Sure, try not to be too long," Her Mother smiled at them and Ino led Gaara through the back out to where they grew all of their flowers. There was a small bench where Ino had often stopped to sit and 'smell the roses' in a sense.

She sat down and Gaara sat next to her, studying every movement with his cold blue eyes. Ino wouldn't admit it, but sitting next to him made her feel warmer than she'd felt since they had left the Sand.

"Why did you leave?" He finally asked. Ino looked surprised by his sudden question.

"We had to, Konoha needed all they could have at home," She answered.

"That's not what I meant," He lowered his eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured you just wanted to be left alone, we had to leave early anyway," Ino said simply, thinking it was obvious.

"That night made you think I wanted to be _alone_?" He had a sarcastic tone in his voice. Ino felt her cheeks redden and she had to look away. His expressions could be too intense for her.

"I was… afraid…" She said and he felt his stomach tighten. Gaara didn't want her to be scared of him. Everyone was always keeping their distance and watching his actions carefully. Why her? Why did she have to be scared of him too?

"I didn't want to seem weak," She said in almost a whisper. "You said emotions were a weakness, and it had already come close to killing me twice."

"…Why would that scare you?" Gaara wanted to know.

"It's not that I'm scared of you…" She trailed off and found herself leaning closer to him but tried to stop. "It's that I don't want to be hurt again."

He watched her in surprise. She thought he would hurt her? Hadn't he just saved her life a month ago, when he'd barely been able to stand? Then Gaara dimly remembered what he'd said to her after_. 'Just returning the favor'. _No wonder she was scared, he had been so cold with her.

There was a pause between them. Until, she finally leaned against him, cautiously settling her head on his shoulder. Gaara found himself wrapping his right arm around her back and pulling her closer. She was so warm, and he'd felt so cold for so long.

"Don't be afraid of me," He finally said. "I wouldn't hurt you."

"How should I know? I feel like I don't know anything about you," Ino said and felt him tense.

"There's nothing I'd like to share," Gaara seemed to study the plants straight across from where they sat.

"You know how Sakura and I stopped being friends and what it did to me," She retorted. "How do I know you haven't just been toying with me all this time?" Gaara lowered his gaze and turned his head to see her. She was watching him from the place on his shoulder, her blue eyes shining. He never said anything, but just placed his hand carefully over her heart. She didn't have to voice her understanding and she found herself linking her fingers with his and allowing both their hands to rest there.

"It was my Uncle," Gaara said and she sat up in surprise that he'd said it. "He was the only person who ever sat down and talked to me about anything. I'd thought he cared."

Gaara seemed surprisingly out of character, if Ino hadn't known better she would've sworn she heard his voice break. "Then he tried to kill me. My sand protected me of course, and he ended up dying that day. I wanted to know why he did it…And he said…" Gaara never finished and instead studied the ground.

"It's okay," She said and placed a hand over his heart, feeling his heartbeat quicken with the contact, then wrapped her other arm around him in a hug. "I get it." Gaara nodded, though still seeming to be thinking about something else. Perhaps opening him up wasn't the best move.

"That's when I started killing," He spoke bluntly now and she gasped. Gaara hardly noticed how she looked so disturbed by this. "And I kept at it, until that exam."

"So long…" She commented.

"Naruto was the one, who ultimately beat the sense into me," Gaara turned back to look at her seriously. "But it wouldn't have affected me if I hadn't have met you first."

Gaara placed his hand over the one still over his heart, she flinched involuntarily at the contact and he frowned. With the other hand he brushed a hair out of her face, letting it linger there for a moment. Her eyelids fluttered shut and he leaned closer, letting his forehead and hers meet.

"How did I help?" She whispered and he smiled.

"You were the first person to touch me," He answered, moving in closer. She could feel his breath on her lips. "In more ways than one."

"Ino-" Her mother's voice called out and the two teens broke apart. The older blonde woman poked her head in and saw the two of them just sitting there. "-Sakura is here, she says there's something she needs to talk to you about."

"I'll be right there," Ino said and her mother left with a smile. Ino turned to Gaara apologetically as she got up to leave.

"Ino," He caught her wrist and she turned to him obediently. "We will be here until next Tuesday. Could I… Could I… I mean, we…"

"Gaara," She interrupted his stuttering. "I think we're past formalities by now. Do you want a date?"

"…Yes…"

"Friday night, meet me here at six," Ino said and flashed him a smile. He gave her a nod and released her wrist. She walked out to see her friend and he followed slowly. It wasn't that he didn't like Sakura, it was just that she had hurt Ino. He found himself disliking her despite how she'd been so kind when caring for his injuries a month ago.

But still, when he did see her in the floral shop, he acknowledged her with a curt nod and left. It looked like it was going to be a long girl talk, and he wanted no part in that.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Ino greeted with her trademark smirk. "How can I help you?"

"Ino-chan," Sakura gave her a weak smile, one that Ino knew was fake. She'd known her too long too be fooled by that. "Naruto and I just got back from a mission to intercept information about Sasuke."

"What did you find out?" Ino was interested, she'd seen Sakura upset for so long that any news would likely be good… Or so she'd thought.

"He has been with Orochimaru," Sakura sighed. "And he has…improved… greatly."

"You…You actually saw him?" Ino was surprised.

"I'm sorry, I don't want you to be jealous-" Sakura started to babble but Ino cut her off and told her mother they would be right outside. She supposed she could have taken her out back, but it was too much like her and Gaara's place now.

"Sakura, I'm not jealous," Ino finally replied once they were alone in an alley by the shop.

"Good," Sakura smiled in relief. "I should've have known… we were past that."

"Sakura," Ino shook her head in disbelief. "You must have known. It was never Sasuke."

"What?"

"I never liked him as much as you, I'd have 'let you have him.' But you seemed intent on being rivals," It was now Ino's turn to sigh. "I kept it up, because at least that way you noticed me."

"Why didn't you say something?" Sakura wondered.

"Would you have believed me?" Ino retorted and Sakura looked away shamefully. "Just forget it happened. At least now you know."

"Ino… I'm sorry," Sakura's eyes went wet.

"We're past it, right?" Ino said and Sakura nodded. Ino gave her a warm hug and dried the girl's tears, glad that Sakura finally understood what it had been like for her.

Now, most women seem to have a sixth sense that tells them when it's time to get away from something. They avoid dark alleys, certain people with "bad auras" and most of all a combination of the first two. It seemed that Ino had always had this sixth sense in spades. It was how she knew Gaara wouldn't hurt her that time they met during the Chuunin exam, how she'd known that Sakura wouldn't believe her honesty until they were older. She often thought that it was this sense that got her to where she was as far as rank, but all she knew now was that something was wrong."It's getting dark," Sakura commented and Ino glanced around. There was something about the shadows beyond the alley that just seemed wrong.

"Sakura, do a henge of me," Ino whispered.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it until we get back to the shop," Ino glanced around once more before looking at Sakura seriously. "You're one of the top three medics in the Fire Country, let alone Konoha. Something here isn't right, and it's best if they mistake me for you."

Sakura nodded reluctantly and they exchanged looks before leaving the alley. Ino, looking like Sakura, went first and kept her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. As expected, dark shadows circled them almost as soon as they were out of the alley.


	6. Sixth Sense

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Author's Note: **I'm really sorry for the slow update, school has been absolutely insane lately and I had this handwritten, so I had to type it… Anyhow, I'm really sorry about that. If I'm ever slow, I really need someone who will just keeping poking me until I get my act together…

Also, IMPORTANT! More spoilers mixed in with my story here. If you don't know who Sai is, stop reading right now and catch up on the manga. Please.

**Chapter 6: Sixth Sense**

The room was dark and her eyelids felt heavy. A dull groan escaped her lips as Ino raised her head. She noticed a dim light above her, and that even in her weakened state she had managed to hold onto her henge of Sakura.

Maybe she wasn't so weak after all.

She slowly realized that she was in a chair with her hands tied behind her back. Her ankles were also bound, and she could feel something between her hands to keep her from doing any seals.

"She's awake," a deep voice said and she strained to see the speaker. "Let them see her now."

"Yes sir," A second voice replied. Ino could barely make out their shadows as the underling went to get "them", whoever they were bringing to see her. The man still in the room with her stepped closer, but stayed out of the light so she couldn't see him.

"We have someone you'll be happy to see," the voice teased, and Ino glared at the source of the sound. A door opened and the light introduced to the room briefly blinded her. Footsteps followed before the door slammed closed and the room was cloaked in darkness once more. Ino closed her eyes, hoping for the lights still dancing in front of them to fade. She remembered to concentrate on allowing to hold the form of Sakura.

"That's not Sakura," An all too familiar voice cut through the tension on Ino's mind. Her eyes opened and she stared in surprise at the new shadows. A single pair of crimson eyes looked out at her from the shadows, the only feature she could see in the darkness.

"Sasuke-kun?" She gaped at him. So he'd been behind the attempted kidnapping of Sakura? Why not just take care of it when he'd last seen her?

"Let go of the henge, Ino," He said. It was a command, not a suggestion. She reluctantly undid the jutsu, and heard new voices join the conversation.

"We got the wrong girl?" One said.

"But that's the one we left behind!" A second complained.

"It's fine," An almost feminine voice said, it had to be Orochimaru from what Ino had heard of him. "This could still work to our advantage."

Ino felt an ominous chill as Orochimaru's smile pierced the darkness.

-x-X-x-

"Gaara, please calm down for a minute-" Temari began.

"Would YOU be calm about _this_!" He yelled and sand began to drift over and crush various pieces of furniture in their hotel room. Kankuro noted this and tried to think of how to explain Gaara's outburst to the elders.

"There's nothing anyone could have done-"

"She's missing! They could have done anything!" He growled and the furniture was thrown aside in his rage. Temari had been silenced for the second time and seemed unwilling to try and reason with him again. Not when he was like this.

"Why don't you go and do something?" Kankuro muttered but froze when Gaara paused to glare at him. The room felt icy for a geological age, and then Gaara simply turned and stormed out. The door slammed behind him and Temari sighed as they heard his steps thundering down the hallway.

"I hope she's alright," She breathed.

"If she's not, someone is going to have hell to pay," Kankuro replied. "Think we should help?"

"I'd rather not be in the way, he'll be fine. Gaara won't go alone," Temari answered. Kankuro snorted and they fell silent. The scene was still vivid in their minds.

_Flashback…._

_"Where are you staying?" Shikamaru had asked Temari at the end of their date. "I'll take you back."_

_"The Best Leaf Hotel," she answered and he nodded. Temari smiled as he tried to hide the smirk on his face. It wasn't far, and she knew he was happy that it wouldn't be too "troublesome". They walked along the main street, holding hands for the first time, only for them to stop suddenly at Yamanaka Floral._

_"What?" Temari sounded annoyed but Shikamaru was too distracted to notice. He just pointed inside the window, where a hysterical Sakura was sitting at the counter being comforted by Mrs. Yamanaka as two jounin interviewed them._

_"There's no way Ino would be missing from that picture if Sakura's upset," He said quietly. Temari gave his hand a squeeze and they entered to see what had caused such a commotion._

_"Shikamaru," Mrs. Yamanaka looked up in surprise and Sakura glanced at the two of them with watery eyes._

_"What's going on?" Shikamaru asked and the two jounin looked unwilling to answer._

_"Ino… Was kidnapped," Sakura sniffed. _

_"What?" Temari looked serious. "Why would someone take her?"_

_"She was disguised as Sakura," Mrs. Yamanaka explained and patted the medic's back while Sakura' s eyes overflowed with guilty tears. "Since she felt there was something suspicious."_

_"Any leads?" Shikamaru glared at the two jounin._

_"Sounded like Akatsuki at first," One spoke up. "But they used a unique style-"_

_"Drugs," Sakura jumped in. "They used something to knock us out that didn't drain our chakra. I bet they wanted me for my skills." She pulled out a jar with a blue liquid in it, likely a sample she took from herself._

_"I've got to go," Temari turned to Shikamaru._

_"I'll take you-"_

_"No. Gaara needs to know, and I don't want you nearby when he hears it. I should tell him alone," Temari explained with an apologetic look, and left. Shikamaru understood, but still watched her go with a frown. _

_"Sakura-chan," Shikamaru finally turned back to them. "Have you seen Tsunade-sama about having that tested?"_

_"No, we reported it as soon as I got back," She shook her head._

Present time, at the Hokage's office…

"Shizune, test this right away," Tsunade handed off the sample from Sakura. "And keep an eye on the one's watching over Sakura if you can, we need her well as soon as possible."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Shizune nodded and quickly set about her task.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shikamaru asked to remind her that he was still there. She looked over at him and knew what he was about to ask before he even said anything. "Put me on the team?"

It was as close to a request as he could manage, and they both knew it. Tsunade sighed, she knew that when one of his close friends was in a bad situation that he simply would not relax.

"Shikamaru, I-" She began but was interrupted as the door to her office was torn open. Both of them just watched as Gaara entered the room. His eyes were shooting daggers at anything living and sand was flowing across the floor.

To say he was not pleased would be an understatement.

"Where have they taken her?" He demanding in a tone that was so calm it was frightening.

"We suspect they've headed north-" Tsunade began.

"_'Suspect?' _Hokage-sama, we need to _know_," Gaara's pale eyes focused intensely on her face.

"The only witness was drugged," Tsunade spoke calmly as Gaara continued, a skill Shikamaru found himself admiring in her. "She is being tracked as we speak, but from the sample already taken it appears that only one known person could give such strong doses. He is located in the north."

"Who's going?" Gaara wanted to know.

"Shikamaru here," She nodded in his direction and Gaara's gaze flitted over to him briefly. "Team Gai will be going as well."

Gaara's eyes studied her carefully, silently demanding that she go on. Shikamaru nervously watched the interaction of the two leaders. He had always known Gaara to be someone of questionable mental stability; but he had never known Gaara to be the one to protect the life of another with such vigor.

"And?" Gaara's expression darkened.

"I assumed no one could stop you from going," Tsunade smirked slightly and Gaara seemed satisfied.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune poked her head in and waited for an approving nod before she continued. "It's confirmed. The drug is one of Orochimaru's trademark formulas."

"Thank you," Tsunade said. "Please keep an eye on Sakura for me. Now you two," She addressed the young men before her, "I suggest you get going, Team Gai will meet you at the northern gate. Don't forget that you might be expected."

"No," Gaara spoke plainly. "_They _might be expected."

The Kazekage was gone within minutes, leaving Shikamaru and Tsunade alone in the office once more. She sighed and rubbed her temples as her eyes drifted closed. The whole situation weighed heavily on her, and her student had taken a bad hit as well.

"Shikamaru," She finally said. "You will only see Lee and Tenten at the gate, the other two went ahead for tracking purposes."

"Thank you," Shikamaru said and started.

"Oh, and one more thing?" She said and he paused at the door. "Try not to let Gaara kill _too_ many, I'd like some answers."

"So would I," He replied and left.

-x-X-x-

"Answer when you're spoken to, girl," Kabuto's glasses shone as he pushed them farther up on his nose. He held the syringe in front of her face as he continued, "We wouldn't want to use more of this now would we?"

Ino studied the ground and said nothing. She'd been beaten, drugged, and nearly broken by now. She had no idea how much time had gone by, or if time had passed at all. The expected her to spill the weaknesses of her friends that Sasuke didn't know. The had a new insider, one who'd seen the last two and a half years of Konoha. But they were finding that the blonde wouldn't talk. They couldn't break her.

She wasn't as weak as she had once been.

"So that's your answer?" He shook his head and the needle tore another hole in her arm. Ino winced but made no sound, she wouldn't give them that pleasure.

"She's not cracking," Kabuto reported to Orochimaru an hour later. "If we start pulling any fingernails, I'm afraid it wouldn't help the situation." Sasuke sat to the side and raised an eyebrow at this. The girl he'd known would have cracked in minutes. What had changed?

"Have you been using the drugs?" Orochimaru used a tone that frequently suggested he was mocking Kabuto's intelligence.

"They're not working," Kabuto said- Sasuke's eyebrow went up even more- "Any more and there could be permanent side effects."

"Do it-"

"No, wait," Sasuke cut in, startling the other two. "There must be more to it."

They watched him curiously, waiting for him to go on about why they should wait. Sasuke recognized this and went on.

"Ino has never been the type to keep quiet, she has to be protecting something. Wait and try to get information out of her another way, or what she's protecting could come to her," Sasuke explained.

"Those Konoha ninja… They don't know when to quit," Orochimaru reminisced and Sasuke was bitterly reminded of the last time he'd seen Naruto before he left. _'I'll beat you back to your old self…'_

-x-X-x-

"Ino" A strong voice said, and she barely stirred. The drugs were finally slowing her senses and she could feel the way she had numbed to her surroundings. She barely even noticed that it was Sasuke this time. "What are you hiding? They've abandoned you, why protect them?"

"I have to…Show him…" She groaned and managed to look at Sasuke through squinted eyes. "I can prove… I'm not weak…"

"Weak?" Sasuke crouched down to her level, receiving a look of disgust from the girl. "We're all weak, that's the only ting I've learned."

"You're wrong," Ino eyed him defiantly. "He's strong." She didn't care anymore; maybe it was the drugs, the pain, or the whole situation, but she just didn't care anymore. Because sooner or later, she knew, they would pay for this.

Sasuke winced; for a moment he'd thought she had meant Itachi. But something in the look in her eyes told him differently. He'd seen it directed at Sakura when the two girls would fight, and now it was aimed at him and it entwined with her anger into a look that could kill.

"When you have someone to protect, something to prove," She spoke the words- words that would haunt him for a very long time- slowly, "Then you're truly strong… You don't have that, do you Sasuke?"

Ino watched his face twist into a frown and said nothing further. She'd delivered a heavy blow- and a low one at that- and now she closed her eyes as she expected a hit for her words. But she only heard the dim rustle of fabric followed by retreating footsteps. Opening her eyes to look, Ino saw that Sasuke was watching her from the doorway.

"Who is he?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"You'll know it when you see him," She allowed herself a faint smile as the door closed heavily behind him.

-x-X-x-

Gaara had arrived early and was now waiting for the others to arrive. He wanted to pace, but it seemed like that would be too anxious. He just kept thinking of what he could have done, he had been right there right before it had happened. And he had just left. That was it. Now she was gone, off being defiled or tortured by lord knows who and he had to stand here waiting for a few Konoha ninjas so that the could go on their mission.

And he would make whoever was responsible pay. Pay dearly. Pay _very _dearly.

Anyone who had made Gaara react so violently-so emotionally- would receive something in return. In Ino's case, it was affection. In her kidnapper's case, it would be hell. It felt like he'd been on edge for days, when really he'd only found out a few hours ago from Temari.

_"Gaara, I need to tell you something," She'd barely come into the hotel room when she'd said it. Her brothers hadn't even looked up as she said it. "Gaara," she tried once more before finally throwing the first thing she saw- a lamp, sadly- to get him to look at her. _

_He looked up, ready to yell at her, but the feeling faded when he saw the look on her face. Her eyes were red… why would her eyes be red? That guy…Great. Now he was going to have to beat the guy up and try and leave evidence that it was someone else. Kankuro seemed to be registering the scene now as well, and Gaara felt him tense._

_"It's about the Yamanaka girl," Temari finally said and his eyes widened and he looked over her appearance once more. Come to think of it, with Temari's temper if Shikamaru had done something it likely would have been taken care of by now. But it looked like she'd run here from wherever she'd been._

_"What is it?" Gaara wanted to know. Kankuro glanced back and forth between his brother and sister, somehow knowing this was going to be more serious than a few dates during the week._

_"She…She was kidnapped," Temari shook her head and looked at the wall. "She disguised herself as that medic, the one with pink hair, and so they kidnapped her because they thought she was the medic."_

_"Does anyone know where they've gone?" Kankuro asked, as Gaara had fallen silent. The other two in the room could almost feel the tension and anger rolling off of him in waves._

_"They were just getting the report when Shikamaru and I showed up," Temari answered. _

_Gaara stood up silently and went to the door, leaving without a word. His siblings just watched him go, and did nothing to stop him. It was not as though they could have anyway._

_"Think he'll be alright?" Temari asked._

_"I'd be more worried about the kidnappers when he finds them," Kankuro said plainly._

Yes, that was true. They would pay. However it had to be done, he would see that they got exactly what they deserved. Because now it seemed that he had something to protect, and he knew it now.

-x-X-x-

Sasuke had lain down and was now trying to sleep. Why did Ino have to be the one who said it anyway? How would she know what it's like to get strong ? She _was_ weak, even if she didn't crack she was still weak. He could defeat her any day of the week.

Or could he?

Sasuke let this thought sink in for a moment before continuing to ponder it. What if beating her in a battle, in some twisted way, made her right? This guy that was coming for her, she wouldn't hide who he was if she did care for him. Maybe even love whoever he was. So if her lover were to show up and see her beaten, broken, and harmed both mentally and physically there would likely be repercussions. Because this lover of hers would be pissed.

Sasuke rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. Her words had burned…_When you have someone to protect, something to prove, then you're truly strong… You don't have that, do you Sasuke? _Ino, of all people, had said this. The dumb blonde who had "fought" Sakura for him in their younger years. He'd known right away it wasn't Sakura, because the medic just wouldn't have looked at him like that. Not after what had happened between them last time. It made him think of the last time he'd seen his home town.

For some reason, he was constantly reminded of that day that Sakura had tried to stop him and confessed that she loved him. She was annoying, he'd said it to her before. But for some reason that day she hadn't been annoying, she'd been herself for once. Sakura had grown over the years, he'd seen that from their brief encounter. Sasuke found himself feeling… protective, when she'd choked Sai. It had to be an old teammate "bond" that had him feeling that way, wanting to ensure a teammate's safety.

But that look on her face…

Sasuke winced. It was him who had hurt her now, and it had been his choice to do it. Everything had changed because he left. Somehow he could see that now.

Maybe it was because Ino was here, staring at him with hate in her eyes. Maybe that had woken him up. Because she had been trying to protect Sakura; whom they wanted to possibly heal Orochimaru's arms and become a useful ally if they could have Sasuke persuade her. That had been the initial plan.

'Sakura has grown strong, why is everyone still protecting her?' He wondered. Sasuke rolled over again, keeping his eyes closed but his thoughts active.

'Why do _I _still want to protect her?' Sasuke's thought lingered, and he fell into a troubled sleep.

**A/N: **Yeah… I'm a Sasuke fan-girl… Pathetic because he's an evil creep and all, but I can't help it…


	7. Follow You Home

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, Ino, Gaara, etc…

Chapter 7: Follow You Home

She was lying there, bloody and in a heap. Gaara felt a pain in his chest as he went over to her, the rest of the team staying back out of caution. He unconsciously allowed the sand to surround the area and gently raise her up off of the cold floor. Gaara knelt and the sand set her down in his lap, her face was beautiful even in the dim lighting of the room. A thin trail of blood came from the left corner of her mouth, sight he had never wanted to see on her.

Suppressing the emotion rising in him, Gaara frantically checked for a pulse and signs of breathing. Why wasn't her chest moving? Why was she so cold? Questions tumbled into his mind, tripping over them selves and each other until one finally stood out to him…

…Who did this?

The sand was violent and threw anything and everyone up against the wall, Gaara never noticed if they were from his cell or not. He stood up slowly, cradling the fragile girl in his arms. He would find a way to fix it; someone had to be able to fix this.

"Gaara, stop it!" Shikamaru screamed, his yell the only sensible one among the many trapped by sand. "You're killing them!"

Pale, blood-shot eyes searched the room and saw Team Gai together, frantically trying to escape or say their good byes. The Hyuuga was trying to cut through the sand with chakra as it kept coming. The girl was summoning weapons and growing distraught as the sand snapped them in half. The teacher's mini-me was opening gates in an attempt to blast the sand away while the teacher struggled.

Gaara didn't care. Ino was gone, and someone had to pay… None of them could help, so why not them?

There were several pops and crunches as Gaara exited the room into a dark cavern…

"STOP IT!" He heard a voice and whipped around before he could leave. Standing in the doorway on the other side of the room was a woman silhouetted in light. Gaara gasped when he recognized, even in rags and a face covered in cuts and bruises, his Ino. Looking down, the body in his arms disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ino…" He realized in horror. She studied his face for a brief moment before running to one of the bodies. It was Shikamaru, one of her best friends. Gaara watched with wide eyes as she cried over the body of her old teammate and slowly took in the scene around him.

What had he done?

"You killed him!" She cried and looked up at Gaara in disbelief. He stared at in shock and shook his head wordlessly. "Yes you did! I saw it! How could you?"

The blonde continued to sob and he stepped forward to try and comfort her but she pulled away. Ino was shaking, and he couldn't understand it. How did this happen? He was trying to save her, now she… she…

"I hate you, you monster!" She screamed and more people burst into the room. Gaara shielded his eyes from the light that flooded in with them. He couldn't see any of them, but felt a pang of jealousy and anger as one of them brought Ino to her feet and took her away.

'Monster' she had called him. Just like everyone else from school, and his village, and his own family… She had never loved him. Ino had never really cared. He felt used, and a familiar feeling rose up inside of him: rage.

"I'll show you a monster…" Gaara muttered and let the sand loose as he let go of his self control…

-x-X-x-

"Gaara, wake up," an annoying voice said and Gaara felt someone jabbing him in the side. Gaara bolted upright from the position he'd been sleeping in and took in the scene around him.

"Whoa, take it easy," the annoying voice appeared to be Shikamaru. Gaara blinked and relaxed as he saw that they had stopped to camp before meeting up with the rest of Team Gai. He noted that the boy and girl from that team, Lee and Tenten he thought, were staring at him oddly. Probably because of his odd style of waking up combined with his reputation for killing. And that time when he'd tried to kill the boy, they were still a little suspicious of him after that. Shikamaru handed Gaara something to drink and a small bowl of soup, which he accepted gratefully.

"Bad dream?" The girl wondered and Gaara stared for a moment before answering.

"Only a little," He lied. Ino's dead body had scared the living daylights out of him, then to have it turn around and have her hate him for reacting like… well… him? It wasn't something he wanted to think about too often.

"Don't' worry, everything will be fine," The girl smiled and he grunted a thanks. She was nice, he'd give her that much, but the way she was nearly sitting on top of the one with funny eyebrows told him she was either a little scared of him or there was something more than meets the eye between those two. Either way, it didn't matter to him at the moment. What mattered was hurrying up and getting a move on before the kidnappers decided to move.

"Okay, so the mission report said to wait for the other two when we came within as mile of the suspected site," Shikamaru said, while thinking it was odd that they wouldn't have moved since Team Kakashi last paid the area a visit but continued anyway, " and that's about where we are, so we will wait for the others here."

"…Or we could just start now," everyone jumped as they realized Neji had just appeared on the other side of Tenten. She jumped involuntarily and he smirked at her and Shikamaru as Gai walked up to the other side of Lee and gave a good-guy pose.

"We've checked the area and it seems that they've moved to a building that is underneath their old facility," Gai said and sat down.

"Clever, so that their enemies would look for another lair far away," Shikamaru nodded respectfully.

"It would be best to break into two teams and have one create a diversion then enter pretending to have the goal of rescuing Sasuke, while the others go after Ino-chan," Gai explained.

"I'm going after Ino," Gaara said and no one seemed surprised.

"Me too," Shikamaru said, remembering to not let Gaara kill _too_ many.

"I'll accompany them and lead the way," Neji offered and Gai nodded in approval.

"Sounds wonderful, my youthful team," Gai grinned and Gaara exchanged annoyed glances with Shikamaru. "We shall head out right away, they looked suspecting, and so we should catch them before preparations are complete."

They silently split up and headed in the direction of the complex, ready to save at least one Konoha shinobi. Gaara stared straight ahead intently, following the direction Neji lead them in. It was almost like he could feel Ino was there. She was still alive, he just knew it.

But what if when they found her… No, he couldn't think that. She was still going to go on that date with him come hell or high water. And what if when he saw her she… What would he do then? Make them pay?

Gaara wasn't so sure that he could after that dream. She had hated him… Called him a monster… Just like _they_ had. Would she hate him for reacting like that? She had stood next to him so silent and emotionless when he saved her from that last attacker when he was rescued from Akatsuki. In the dream it had been people she'd known, her best friend for Pete's sake!

_'I won't kill _everyone_,'_ Gaara silently vowed, _'Just the ones that really deserve it.'_

The group continued in silence, and devised a plan once they found the complex. Little did they know, preparations had been completed and the team had been seen.

-x-X-x-

Ino was sitting upright, facing Kabuto with a look that could kill as he gave her yet another injection. She found that they seemed intimidated when she sat upright, acting like they weren't doing anything to her. In reality, it was started to burn. Like a poison was running through her veins. Ino dimly wondered if it was just the lighting that made it seem like her veins were standing out so much.

"So… About your friend the pink-haired medic," Kabuto took a seat across from her. Ino rolled her eyes, for some reason they only wanted to hear about team seven. Then again, that team had the best reason to come and attack because of Sasuke.

"What about her?" Ino raised a defiant eyebrow. "Want to know her favorite color? It's sea foam green."

"As nice as that is, it's not quite what I was looking for," Kabuto gave her an evil smile. "How about any… weaknesses?"

"Weaknesses?" Ino pretended to think, knowing from experience that this annoyed the silver haired man the most. She knew it would probably lead to another black eye, but she didn't care anymore. Besides, he also knew she was vain enough to not answer if she knew her face had been misshapen so he would heal it for her soon enough. The cycle never ended.

"Yes… what makes her tick?" Kabuto played her game, hoping she wasn't playing this time. Oh how he wished he could just drug her to death at last…

"I can't believe you don't know that by now," Ino shook her head in disapproval. "Or has her teammate told you nothing?"

Kabuto scowled at the girl, and she hid a smile. She won once again, and knew that pain was going to be inflicted soon, yet the small victory was worth it. Before Kabuto could make the move, some servant burst into the room and interrupted the scene.

"Konoha shinobi were spotted circling the perimeter," He said and Kabuto turned to him.

"Thank you, please tell Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said calmly.

"I did, and he asked to see you," The underling replied. Kabuto grunted and got up to go see what Orochimaru wanted, and mumbled an instruction for the man to watch her.

Ino thought for a moment as Kabuto left. Konoha shinobi? Hadn't he come? Had he even heard? Ino felt a pang of sadness at the thought that he had not come to her rescue when she had come to his.

_'He's here, you know he is,'_ a small voice in her mind spoke up, and she felt strangely relieved. Gaara was breaking through the masses as she sat there waiting for him. Ino had to suppress the urge to grin at the thought.

A thud distracted her and she looked up in surprise, expecting to see her knight in sand-armor standing there but what she saw was even more surprising. The underling had knocked out Kabuto and was now injecting him with the drugs that had been used on her. He looked back at her and made a hand seal to release his henge. Ino stared in shock at Uchiha Sasuke, who was now walking over to her.

"What the hell?" She couldn't keep herself from saying as he untied her.

"Bonds," He muttered and dragged her out of the chair. She tried to stand and found that her legs were too weak from not being used in the last few days. He caught her easily and stood her up so that she could attempt to balance. She continued to stare at him in wonder as he steadied her.

"Your friends are here to get you," Sasuke said to her, though she seemed to be frozen in surprise. "Specifically Team Gai, Shikamaru and Gaara. I'm guessing one of the last two is 'him'. They'll be here soon, the guards were told to watch the other side of the building."

"Why?" Ino asked in disbelief.

"Because I told them that's where they were coming from," Sasuke loosened his grip and she stayed standing. He looked pleased by this and went back to a black bag near the edge of the room. "And that way Hyuuga, Nara and Gaara had a clear entrance."

"You…You can't seriously be doing this…" Ino still couldn't believe it. He pulled out a needle and started to come toward her._ 'I knew it' _she thought and pulled back quickly, causing her to fall over.

"Would you relax for a minute?" Sasuke frowned and kneeled down to her, grabbing her arm roughly. "It's an antidote."

She felt the needle go in, and true enough the liquid flowing into her veins calmed the fire that had been there before. Ino looked dumbfounded and Sasuke tossed the needle away before helping her stand again. She couldn't believe that this was really the boy who was now an S-ranked criminal, and he was helping her.

-x-X-x-

"What the hell?" Neji looked around with his byakuugan activated in disbelief.

"Something wrong?" Shikamaru asked and Neji shook his head.

"All of the guards… Are on the other side of the building…" Neji said and Shikamaru looked confused.

"Then let's go before they come back," Gaara sounded annoyed.

"Right, she's this way," Neji streaked towards the girl's room.

_'Hang in there, Ino,'_ Gaara thought to himself.

Neji suddenly paused in the middle of a hallway and the other two waited for his explanation. He muttered something about lazy guards and went into jyuuken stance, leaving the other two to try and come up with an attack. Shikamaru jumped off to the side and prepared his shadow technique while Gaara just stood there bored.

"Gaara-san," Neji said quietly. "I'm sure we can handle this, she is in the third room on the left."

"Thank you," Gaara said and watched for an opening after the group of three guards turned the corner and Shikamaru caught them in a shadow.

"Go on Gaara," Shikamaru grinned, "we were supposed to get some answers anyway."

Gaara went past and followed the directions Neji had given him while he heard the distinct sound of Hands of Hakke in the background. He found the door and took a deep breath before walking through it.

-x-X-x-

Meanwhile (and just a little bit before)…

"Why are you doing this...? For me?" She finally asked. Sasuke snorted, again remembering the head-strong girl from his academy days. She still didn't understand the kind of impact she really had.

"It's not for you…" He frowned at her and placed a hand on his hip, the strange outfit he wore making him look so much older. "What you said… about having someone to protect. As much as I hate the idea, I do have someone 'precious'. I always tried to keep her safe. I thought I'd broken that bond, I wanted to."

He turned away and studied the wall; Ino took the chance to let his words sink in. If she hadn't known better, she'd have sworn he was… crying. "Then she came back, and it seemed like she'd moved on… Now you're here, because you saved her from capture," Sasuke finished and turned back to her, looking angry and tired. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this because you saved her…Saved me from another 'bond'."

"Thank you…" Ino said, for lack of anything else to say. _'No wonder Sakura looked so upset'_ she thought and pitied him. Here he was, thinking that loving someone was a weakness. Little did she know that in his case, it was.

Sasuke knew that if Itachi ever figured out the way he felt about Sakura, the girl would become more of a target than she already was as a medic. He'd been against bringing her here, but Orochimaru had expected it to somehow influence him into becoming his next vessel. Naturally, Sasuke was against the idea. If this was a way for him to rebel, then so be it.

"Do me one favor…" Sasuke said as Ino slowly regained her natural complexion. "… Give this to Sakura for me?"

Ino looked surprised as Sasuke pulled her close and pressed his lips roughly against hers. There was nothing sweet or sentimental behind it. His kiss seemed so heartless and … weak.

She felt him start to step away when suddenly he was thrown back and slammed against a wall. Ino did a double take before registering what had just happened. Sasuke had been kissing her one second, then pinned against the wall by sand the next.

By sand…

"Gaara-kun!" Ino gasped and whipped around to see the very angry Kazekage. She felt a strong urge to run over and trap him in a bear hug for saving her, but hen she caught the look in his eye. Was it…betrayal?

"So this is _him_," Sasuke grunted under the weight of the sand.

"I told you you'd know it when you saw him," Ino smirked and Sasuke glared back at her.

"What were you just doing with him?" Gaara addressed Ino, who now felt like a trapped animal. The look in Gaara's eyes was not one she was accustomed to seeing from him.

"It was nothing—" Ino began.

"Hey I grabbed her," Sasuke interrupted. "Blame me; I did it in case you didn't see that."

"I was planning to anyway," Gaara turned back to the Uchiha and there was a gasp of pain as the sand tightened.

"Stop it! He was helping me!" Ino cried. Gaara froze; it was the same tone she had used in his dream. He immediately let Sasuke fall to the ground, and he noticed with a touch of happiness that she did not go over to help him.

"She was kidnapped because they wanted to use Sakura to influence me," Sasuke gasped for air. "Now get the hell out of here…"

Ino grabbed Gaara's arm and ran out of the room. Sasuke stared after them and smiled slightly. _'Maybe this will let you forgive me someday, Sakura…'_


	8. Battle Scars

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, Ino, Gaara, etc…

_Chapter 8: Battle Scars_

Ino and Gaara ran down the corridor, with Gaara barely guiding her the way he'd come in by. Her grip had slid down his arm and weakened, so that now it looked like they were holding hands as they ran; to which Gaara had no objection. Still, he found it hard to suppress the thought that he had just seen her kissing someone. Or someone kissing her rather, since it had appeared that she was forced into it. But that guy was still alive… why?

_She said he had helped her._

Right, that was why. This Uchiha guy had helped her escape, so for now he could live. Should it come up again…

_I'll tear him apart…_

Gaara was jerked to a stop when Ino suddenly gasped and went down to her knees. Gaara looked down at her in worry as she winced and held her stomach. He had not noticed how badly they had beaten her before, but now he got a good look at her face which still had traces of blue and purple in it. Looking down to where her hand was pressed, he saw a red stain.

"Did they heal that one?" He asked.

"Kabuto always left at least one unattended," she shook her head while she spoke, "to remind me of what they could do."

"Let me see it," Gaara commanded and pulled her hands away gently. With the slight movement more bruises became visible on her legs and he saw more on her stomach as he lifted her shirt. There were a few cuts that had not fully healed, some were scabbed over and others were not. Gaara thought that the one that had stopped her was not the color it should be and so ripped off part of his own clothing to wrap it. Ino winced slightly as he did so but said nothing.

When he finished she thanked him with a smile as he helped her stand. She was upright for less than a minute before she wobbled and Gaara had to catch her. Ino smiled her embarrassment away and mumbled about not being able to walk which left only one option.

Gaara had to carry her.

Without really asking him, she managed to get Gaara to scoop her up bridal style and continue to where his teammates were battling. It was awkward for him, especially considering his lack of experience with females that he wasn't related to somehow. Ino could tell and tried not to laugh as he clung to her more tightly than he needed to while she snuggled into him. It had been only a few days, but it felt like it had been weeks. The nightmare was almost over, and her knight with sand armor was rescuing her. She felt so warm and safe as she rested there in his arms.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

They found Neji and Shikamaru amid a group of Orochimaru's underlings, and so could not pass through immediately. Gaara stopped and surveyed the area; Shikamaru was trying to hold off a group with his shadow technique while Neji was slashing one after another down with his gentle fist.

"Gaara," Shikamaru yelled over at them, "If you can get out of here, do it now!"

A fist slammed into Shikamaru's face and Ino screamed as the shadow technique let go. Gaara looked down at the girl in his arms and noted the way she was trembling, he couldn't leave with her without doing what she would do and defend her friends. Ino could not do it herself, so he would have to do it for her. All Gaara really wanted to do, despite the refreshing idea of killing all of these people as a replacement for the Uchiha brat, was get Ino out of there. But she looked so upset at the odds her friends were facing…

This was so troublesome.

Gaara carefully shifted her so that he only had to support her with his right arm and used his sand to surround Shikamaru with a protective barrier of sand. Any enemy shinobi that was too close lost a limb, or worse. The sand continued to spread out across the room and carefully avoided Neji and Shikamaru as it trapped the enemy. Their faces were contorted with pain as the sand tightened around their bodies.

Neji and Shikamaru backed away knowingly, as a desert funeral was on the way. Ino watched the scene animatedly, waiting to hear the muffled screams that came with the use of Gaara's technique. As the sand slowly swallowed them, two faces stood out to her and she scowled.

"Gaara-kun," Ino said and pointed to the two hiding in the far right corner of the room, "those two first, please?"

He smirked evilly and the sand immediately closed upon the two kidnappers, who were screaming apologies even as the sand caved in upon them. Ino found her face twisting into a grin as her kidnappers were taken care of. She felt no need to pay special attention to any of the others; she simply waited while Gaara took out the others one by one.

Neji and Shikamaru turned away after the first two, yet Gaara's mad grin widened with each kill. Shikamaru debated whether or not to try and stop him, but from the pleased look on Ino's face he decided it would be wiser not to do so. Neji was studying the wall, his eyes closed and his byakuugan deactivated. Shikamaru had noticed a change in him since the chuunin exam, it was like he regretted what he had tried—and wanted—to do to Hinata and now could not take the idea of killing when unnecessary. Shikamaru admired that in a way, as it meant Neji would only kill when cornered.

A cry from Gaara and Ino's direction jarred Shikamaru from his thoughts as he spun around to see Kabuto jump away with Ino under one arm. From the way she was fighting back, if she had her weapons Kabuto would be seriously wounded by now.

Gaara was angry, that was obvious. Neji took off after Kabuto as Shikamaru tried to catch the medic in his shadow. It seemed that Kabuto was too fast for Neji and deflected most of his attacks while getting farther away from both of the Konoha shinobi.

But in the mess he seemed to have forgotten about the sand surrounding the area. In minutes, Gaara caught the man in his trap and slowly separated him from Ino. Kabuto smirked and carefully used medical chakra to slice through the sand.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled when he finally caught Kabuto in his trap, "Gaara, we need answers and I bet this guy has them… You'll have to kill him later." Kabuto frowned and watched as the sand slowly slid off of him.

"You can't be Kabuto," Ino scowled at him and he looked at her sourly, "He was drugged by… Me, I found the drugs he was using on me and gave him all of them."

"I guess I've been caught…" An evil laughed was followed by a flash of smoke and Orochimaru stood there in Shikamaru's shadow.

"Why would you kidnap Ino-san?" Neji wanted to know.

"It was not supposed to be her," Orochimaru spat, "That pink-haired media was the one we wanted."

"Why?" Shikamaru sounded annoyed, as he realized Gaara had gone silent and the imminence of death was filling the room slowly.

"To heal my arms and to persuade our young friend to…" Orochimaru's slitted eyes glinted maliciously, "… Compromise… With us."

"Like hell I'd let you do that," another voice suddenly entered the conversation. Shikamaru turned his head and his eyes widened as he saw Sasuke standing behind Gaara. Neji's eyes had hardened into a glare. The Kazekage seemed unfazed by this development and Ino had barely even noticed.

"Yes, it would seem that way…" the sannin frowned, "We trained you a little too well."

Suddenly, the snake-like being broke loose of Shikamaru's bind and charged at Sasuke. The speed could not be captured by the eye and was matched by Sasuke's own. All of the spectators had to cover their eyes when the two met in the middle and the power clashed. Dust flew everywhere and parts of the stone walls were torn up.

The dust settled and it became clear that the two were doing some type of taijutsu.

'_How did he do a henge without his arms?'_ Ino wondered and glanced over, noticing Shikamaru was in his thinking pose. It would not be long before he managed to fix the situation. Sasuke continued to fight his former teacher in the center of the corridor.

Neji appeared by Ino's side and helped her to her feet, saying to her, "If we could get you out now, then perhaps we can avoid more conflict." She nodded and went out the side of the area with him slowly. When she stumbled he grabbed her forcefully and pulled her upright again. Ino chanced a look over at Gaara, and saw that he looked positively livid. They were really going to have to work on how protective he was.

Ino had no idea just how bad it was until a wave of sand had slammed Neji to the wall with such force that it knocked her back onto her butt. Staring in shock, she watched Gaara stomp over to Neji and stare him down cruelly.

"Gaara! What do you think you're doing?" she cried out and he did not even spare her a glance.

"It's not Neji-san," Gaara explained and sure enough a puff of smoke revealed that it was not only Orochimaru in a henge but a replication of him while the original was fighting Sasuke in the middle.

"Gaara, why do you do that?" Ino had gotten up on her own and stood there staring at him. "You've got to stop killing! It's not right!"

"What?..." He recognized her tone from the dream he had had about her and froze up once more.

"I hate you! All you can do is kill! You're a robot! A machine! You're a—"

"No, Ino—"

"A monster!" She screamed, tears running down her face and it seemed like he could not even reach out to her. He wanted to touch her, to let her know that it was still him. But it was suddenly darker around him, and the vision of her tears became all that he could see. Gaara was drowning in her tears as the world blended together for him and all he knew was her. He had never thought she, of all people, would call him a monster.

This girl who had been daring enough to stand with him when he killed Deidara, who had come so close to him in his hospital room. This girl who had found someone who was just as scarred as she was during the chuunin exam had called him a monster.

He wanted to cry, but he found that he could not understand how. These feelings were unfamiliar to him, it was something he had only known when… when…

When his uncle had turned on him.

Yamanaka Ino, whom had been so warm as she let him embrace her. The one who had finally gotten close to him, the one who—

"GAARA!" he heard her scream and opened his eyes. Blinking in surprise, he saw that she was sitting next to him as he lay on the floor. Ino was pumping chakra into him, as if to bring him out of an illusion.

"Gaara? Gaara it's me…" she really was crying now he saw with shock and fell forward into him. He slowly wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders and she held him so tightly. What was going on?...

"I don't hate you, Gaara. You're not a m-" she caught herself before saying it and another tear slid down her beautiful cheek. "It was an illusion; right before the henge disappeared he must have caught you in a genjutsu. I would never hate you Gaara…"

"But… Don't you want me to stop killing?" Gaara felt confused.

"No, it's who you are. I don't love you for what you'll do for me, I love you for who you are," Ino managed a small smile as he stared back at her.

"…Love?"

"Yes… I love you," She said and leaned forward slowly. Gaara's pale eyes were fixated on her as she came close, and he felt her warm lips capture his in a sweet embrace. The kiss tasted of her tears, but he found himself sinking into it as she continued to melt into him.

A thud on the other side of the room broke them apart and he instinctively pulled her up with him and stood in front of her. Sasuke had Orochimaru pinned against a wall in a chokehold with one hand, a chidori charged in the other.

"Get out, now!" He screamed at them, and slammed the ball of light into his old teacher. More dust and rubble kicked up as the contact was made and Gaara made a break for it, scooping her up in his arms as he went. Shikamaru and Neji were not far behind as they ran out of the building.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru whispered while the dust settled, silent enough that only his protégé could hear him. "Did you really think I had come unprepared?"

Outside, Ino's rescuers saw what the other half of their team had encountered. A group of outsiders stood there, their faces hidden by the tall collars of their cloaks of black with red clouds. Gaara handed Ino off to Shikamaru gently and stepped forward wearing a sadistic grin on his face.

Akatsuki; an organization he certainly had unfinished business with.


	9. Akatsuki

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Or Ino. Or Gaara.

_Weak 9: Akatsuki_

"Hey… Isn't that the guy with Shukaku?" one of the men in black and red cloaks said.

"I think he's mad…" another one said.

"We've had him once…We can do it again," a third spoke too soon, as the ones Gaara recognized were crushed to death.

Meanwhile, the Konoha shinobi were trying to formulate a plan. Neji was scanning the area for the rest of his team and a way out, as Shikamaru tried to keep Ino standing upright. Gaara on the other hand, was summoning every ounce of sand he controlled. Hopefully it would be enough.

"I don't believe it; Lee, Gai and Tenten are all gone…" Neji sounded anxious, compared to usual anyhow.

"What?" Shikamaru said in disbelief.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Ino sighed and Shikamaru glared down at her. Her blunt opinions tended to be too negative at times.

"Let's see what Gaara-san does," Neji said plainly. "Maybe he can clear us a path."

"This is troublesome," Shikamaru muttered and it was Ino's turn to glare at him. Now he was the pessimist.

Meanwhile, Gaara's sand rose to form a wall and the Akatsuki merely stood and watched. Ino felt a twinge of worry in the pit of her stomach; they were not prepared to deal with this many of them. Even if the rest of Gai's' team showed up there were too many. She even began to doubt Gaara he had been taken down by just one after all.

Then they charged.

All at once they attacked separate parts of the wall, but it held in the places before him and before where his comrades were waiting. Unfortunately they came around and headed for the ninja hiding behind Gaara's wall. Neji then sprang into action and began to drive away those that came too close.

It was not long before Shikamaru had to carefully put Ino down and join in, holding as many back as possible with his shadow bind. Ino tried to stand, but found that her stomach was in to much pain for her to do any good. She jumped in surprise when a sheet of sand formed under her and carefully pulled her closer to Gaara. He glanced down at her only once and she frowned at him slightly.

"Was that really necessary?" she wanted to know.

"He wasn't keeping an eye on you," Gaara answered as he performed two desert funerals.

Ino fell silent and stayed there next to him, feeling oddly safe in their world of chaos. He had a small shell of sand around himself and her as he used the rest to attempt to hold back or annihilate his old rivals. Much of his sand was being stained red, though others were beginning to see through his defense.

Sand suddenly came falling down around Ino and Gaara, startling the Sand nin. This had never happened before and he turned to see a tall, shark-like man standing behind them. His sword stood tall and looked absolutely lethal, Ino frowned as she looked it over. It seemed like Tenten had told her something about a sword like that, it was one that could absorb chakra.

And how else would Gaara control his sand, if not with chakra.

Ino's eyes went wide as the man punched Gaara and his face cracked like that time before. Another swirl of sand rose around the two and Gaara held his face as he picked himself back up. He was grinning like a madman and Ino was thankful that she was behind him.

"Don't you see?" the shark-man known as Kisame chuckled. "That won't work here." He swung his sword through the barrier once more and Gaara just stood there. What was he supposed to do now?

Kisame took advantage of the temporary confusion and went around to grab Ino. She let out a yelp as he jerked her upright and Gaara snapped out of his daze; sand flew at incredible speeds. Ino fell onto the ground roughly as the sword went flying away from it's master and Gaara was about to do another desert funeral when a yell stopped them.

"Kisame-san! Leave the girl alone!" one of the Akatsuki screamed at them, and Kisame stepped back with a frown. Ino looked at the person who had yelled, and saw that they looked oddly like a wolf. From behind the collar, a pair of yellow dog-like eyes narrowed and nodded to her slightly. Somehow, Ino knew that it was a female even if the appearance did not suggest that.

Gaara was distracted by tripping any Akatsuki who tried to get too close, then catching them in his trap while he still had the element of surprise. Ino found herself crouched near his feet as she had been before, a position she disliked. Though she noticed that after the episode with Kisame, Gaara was keeping them much further away and acting more and more like an animal.

It had been awhile since he had "let loose" like this. It was probably best for him to have an outlet like this.

Especially with a group who certainly had it coming to them.

-x-X-x-

Meanwhile, inside of the lair, Orochimaru had easily overpowered Sasuke and thrown him aside. Sasuke was now locked inside of the very "coffin" he had arrived in. It had all been so simple too, just one sentence had put him in a weak spot.

"You're brother is here," Orochimaru had whispered, and Sasuke had frozen at the very idea. It had not taken long for Orochimaru to make use of this turn of events.

"Did we finish the tests?" Orochimaru asked when Kabuto finally swaggered into the room.

"What?… On the girl?" Kabuto seemed to be still gathering his senses.

"Yes, they took her back and Akatsuki is attempting to retrieve the jinchuriki that was here," Orochimaru summed it up for him.

"While she was drugged… I was able to try the final test. We can't be sure if it worked…" Kabuto groaned and pulled off his glasses so that he could rub his eyes.

"Tsunade will have her hands full when they finally get back to Konoha," Orochimaru laughed.

"Did you lock Sasuke-kun in there?" Kabuto gestured to the container.

"He betrayed us, we'll deal with him later," Orochimaru sneered and turned away when Kabuto went over to investigate. When Kabuto made a startled noise, he looked back and saw what the problem was: Sasuke had disappeared.

-x-X-x-

Suddenly, the Akatsuki stopped attacking and faded away into smoke. The small rescue team stared in surprise and heard one of them yelling about an ambush and retreat. It grew silent in the clearing in front of the lair's entrance, and Gaara even dared to help Ino to her feet once more.

There were yells in the distance, and they saw a group show up and familiar faces came out of the nearby forest. Gai, Tenten and Lee had gone for reinforcements when Akatsuki showed up, and were now accompanied by three ANBU, Jiraiya, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura.

"Ino!" Sakura gasped and ran over to help her old friend. Gaara reluctantly let the medic lay Ino down and begin treatment on her wounds.

"I guess they did not expect much opposition," an ANBU guessed and the other two just shrugged as the group went to tend to the rescue team.

"Sakura-chan," Ino said as Sakura was healing.

"Stop, don't talk," Sakura was on the one over her stomach, which caused pain for both the healer and the patient as the cells stitched themselves together once more.

"Sasuke-kun is still inside," Ino said loudly, so that others would hear her. Many of those around them stopped to hear what she was saying. "He's fighting Orochimaru and needs help…"

"I doubt we'd have made it out without Uchiha," Shikamaru admitted.

"Where?" Jiraiya asked and Neji led them back in, as Naruto and Kakashi tagged along. Gaara watched them go calmly and then crouched down to see how Sakura was doing with her patient. She was healing the wound with ease and it had stopped bleeding.

"You've been drugged," Sakura's eyes widened. "A lot."

"Tell me something I don't know…" Ino groaned as Sakura began pulling the drugs out of her system. She glanced over to her left at Gaara, who seemed like he was trying not to seem too happy. She gave him a smile to reassure him, but winced once more when Sakura went back to her stomach.

"Ino…" Sakura sounded surprised and gave Gaara a suspicious look. "What exactly did they do to you?"

"Drugged me… a lot. They wanted answers about everyone, especially you. Most of the time the drugs kept me pretty out of it," Ino tried to recall.

"I think there's more to this, we need to get you to Tsunade," Sakura took a step back and Gaara immediately scooped Ino up. Ino blushed when he did this, it was hard to believe how possessive he could be even now after he had killed so many Akatsuki.

"We'll stay behind and tell the other guys about it," Tenten said and the rest of her team nodded. Shikamaru just grumbled and accompanied Ino, Gaara and Sakura on the journey back to Konoha.

-x-X-x-

Ino woke up a number of times in the night and was met by the dull blank look of her hospital room. Her stomach had been healed and bandaged, the drugs cleared from her system, and the rest of the team had returned. Sasuke was now missing, and it seemed that Naruto and Sakura's spirits were low once more. Gaara had been forced to go back to the Sand with his siblings, as he could only avoid his duty for so long.

Ino smiled at the memory of how he had left. So awkward and unwilling to go, Temari and Kankuro had actually had to come and make him walk out of the room with them. Gaara could kill five Akatsuki more than the average ninja could ever dream of handling, yet he could not find the words to explain why he wanted to stay here with her. It did not matter, she understood it anyway.

But how was she ever supposed to explain this to him?

As she lay there in bed, Sakura and Tsunade were working out the test to find out if their hunch was correct. Still… even the thought of it was too much for Ino. How was she supposed to explain this?

"Ino-chan," Sakura greeted as she walked into the hospital room.

"How did it turn out?" Ino asked as her old friend came and sat down on her hospital bed. Sakura bit her lip lightly, which basically answered Ino's question.

"The test was positive," Sakura murmured.

"No… How could they do this to me?" Ino's eyes were wet, and Sakura tenderly hugged her. The blonde was shaking, but found comfort in the arms of her friend. "How… How am I going to tell him?"

"Just be honest, tell him they did this to you," Sakura said plainly. "He should trust you."

"After he saw the message Sasuke wanted me to deliver?" Ino laughed. Sakura pulled back a little to give Ino a confused look. "Oh… when Sasuke released me, he told me to …"

"What?" Sakura wanted to know when Ino turned red.

"Okay, but it's not the same coming from me…"

-x-X-x-

"I don't care," Gaara shoved another stack of paperwork aside and sat back in his chair, anger positively radiating from him.

"Gaara, you have to do some work," Kankuro said and Gaara fixated his glare on him instead. Work? He was supposed to work when the person who had done this to her was out there somewhere? Out there and alive? Probably laughing about what he had done to that Konoha chuunin. Was he really supposed to work when he could be making those people pay? Yes, they would pay… Pay dearly for daring to do any harm to Yamanaka Ino…

"Gaara," Temari said forcefully, snapping him out of his daze. "This has to stop. You haven't done anything for three days besides sit there."

"Your point?" Gaara asked.

"If you don't do anything, she'll show up one day and call you a lazy ass just like the two in her cell," Temari retorted. Gaara and her glared at each other for a moment, then he leaned forward and started to go over mission reports again.

Temari smirked and walked out of the office. Kankuro was standing next to the door and reluctantly handed her a bundle of bills, which she took happily.

"I should've known that bringing her up would do it," Kankuro grumbled and walked away as Temari counted her winnings with a smile.


	10. Another Weakness

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, blah blah blah…

_Chapter 10: Another Weakness_

"You sure you're ready for this?" Shikamaru asked as Ino approached him and Chouji. She had been out of the hospital for a week now, and they were about to head out to see their friends in the Sand. Shikamaru was anxious to see Temari again-- something that Ino and Chouji just had to tease him about-- and Ino had to tell Gaara the news. It just was not something that she could let slip one day, it was too important. It would also be best if he heard it from her and not from Tsunade, things were already getting tense. As for why Chouji was coming… Well, he could not just sit around when his two friends went out of town again. Shikamaru was happy to have the company, since Ino was not at her best these past few days.

"I'll be fine," Ino said with a weak smile and they took the first step of their journey. It would be many more before Ino began to feel more sure of herself for what she was about to do.

-x-X-x-

"Tsunade-sama, why do you think they would do that to Ino?" Sakura asked as they went through the blonde's medical papers.

"Well… I don't really know. But if we know Orochimaru, it's not going to turn out well. We're going to have to be on our toes while this works itself out," Tsunade replied.

"Can't we do something?" Sakura asked and was met with a very serious look from her mentor. She immediately silenced herself and turned away. Of course, there was always that way out. But could Ino do it? Sakura bit her lip as she continued the thought. Would Ino have to do it?

-x-X-x-

"Kazekage-sama," one of the elders came out onto the balcony Gaara was standing on. Gaara gave a slight nod to acknowledge the man's presence, and he went on. "We've spotted an intruder on our borders, they seem to be like the one you described on your return from the Konoha rescue mission."

"Catch them," Gaara whipped around to face the elder. The man stepped back in surprise, before backing away slowly and going to act on the order.

Gaara turned to look off the balcony once more, it was the same balcony that faced where the Konoha shinobi had stayed after rescuing him. It was odd how it now felt strangely ominous just to look at it… Does it mean there could be something more to the situation with Ino? The medic had seemed very concerned.

But now they had a lead, the intruder had come his way. How stupid of him. Now Gaara would have the perfect chance to finish off the one who dared to harm Ino personally. Gaara found himself leaning onto the railing and gripping it firmly.

If killing was no longer his reason to survive… Did that mean that she was his reason now? What had changed so drastically since that exam? It could not be because of that bet. He had long since won, especially considering his current rank. Kazekage… he lived for his people. That was part of it. They needed him, and he was happy to be here for them. But how did Ino fit into the picture?

She got him. If no one else did, she somehow understood it all.

And she said she loved him.

So, what now?

He groaned to himself and turned around, no longer wanting to look at the housing across the way. Gaara tilted his head in surprise when he noticed that Temari had somehow appeared behind him, and was now grinning at him mischievously.

"You're losing your touch," she teased.

"You're getting better," Gaara admitted and waited for her to explain the reason for her being there.

"Ino came with Shikamaru and Chouji," Temari looked serious now. "She said it was important and she needed to talk to you alone."

Gaara just stood there for a moment and let it sink in before walking past calmly. Temari said nothing more, except to let him know where to go. The atmosphere was already getting tense. She began to wonder just what Ino was getting herself into with this news of hers.

-x-X-x-

"We'll leave once he gets here," Shikamaru said to Ino for the third time.

"I said I want you out before then," Ino glared at him as he continued to argue back. The room was silent, save for the occasional crunch of Chouji's potato chips. He had already observed to his friends that he was probably going to need to stop for more before they left, the other two had just ignored him and carried on with their pointless argument.

"In here," a door opened and Gaara walked in with Temari close behind. Shikamaru tried not to smile too much as Ino gave him a look, urging him to leave with Chouji and Temari.

Gaara gave them an odd look as they went past him, and his gaze eventually settled on Ino. She looked tired, but at the same time there was something unsettling. He walked closer, finding the sound of his steps soothing in the strangely quiet room. She managed a weak smile as he took a seat next to her on the couch she was sitting on. The room she had been waiting in was like a large living room with plenty of couches and armchairs.

"How have you been?" Ino broke the silence, more to get a conversation going than anything else.

"It's been a slow week," Gaara answered emotionlessly.

"At least you spent it out of bed," Ino grumbled and Gaara moved his hand to fell where she had been injured, but she quickly jerked away.

It was like that day they had met, he had moved closer and she flinched because of a fear that he would hurt her. Why was she doing it now? He could not even find the words to form the question. She had survived her time with Orochimaru , now she was scared of him again? This could not be right. Gaara tested it again by reaching for her chin, and again she pulled back.

Deep down, he wanted to be angry for this. She had let him be close to her, they had kissed. Ino had said that she loved him, she had been happy to see him even when that Uchiha bastard had been kissing her. Now she was pulling away from him, after all that they had been through together.

He wanted to be angry, but he could not when she just looked so sad.

"What is it?" Gaara finally questioned. She sighed deeply and began to study the ground. Gaara narrowed his eyes as he tried to understand her body language, and began to wonder if he should have had Temari tell him more about those "girl things" she was always complaining about.

"When they had me… They drugged me, beat me, and tried to interrogate me…" Ino spoke slowly. "But that was just for the time I was there… This… This will last much longer…"

"What did they do?" Gaara asked forcefully. _Tell me so that I can carve the cause of death into their coffin lid… _he mentally added.

His eyes widened when her eyes filled with tears. Now she was crying? What was going on? He had not seen her cry since he was under that genjutsu that made him think she hated him. This could not be something that would make him hate her, could it? Gaara slowly moved closer to her and let her rest against him as she cried.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Gaara spoke their old saying and carefully placed is hand over her heart. She sniffed once more and placed her hand over his. Within a few minutes she had calmed down once more, and sat up with sea blue eyes that appeared to have never cried. He just waited, if it was this bad he could wait before she told him.

"Gaara… They made me… Made me…" she stumbled over her words as she tried to talk faster. "I-I-I wasn't even awake f-f-for it, I had no idea they had done it until I g-g-got back…"

"Calm down," Gaara said in a commanding tone and she swallowed hard. He could easily see that she was fighting tears once more.

"I'm… I'm…" Ino took another deep breath, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "… Pregnant…"

The room stood still as the word sank into Gaara's ears. Pregnant. Images of his childhood rushed to him, the simple knowledge that the one he would have called mother had died bringing him into this world. Ino was going to be a mother, she would be raising a child now.

And it was not his.

"They… did this… to you?" Gaara was stunned.

"…Y-yes…" another tear fell and she jumped at a loud crack. Ino saw one of the couches on the other side of the room break in half with the force of the sand from Gaara's gourd. "Gaara…"

"Those ba--" his curse was cut off by the sound of an armchair being reduced to a collection of toothpicks. Ino's eyes widened and she tried to reach out to him but he got up off of the couch and more sand pushed against the furniture in the room.

"Gaara, please calm down," Ino begged, feeling oddly frightened.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" he shouted and glared at her with bloodshot eyes. "They violated you!"

A couch blew up with the force of the sand and Ino jerked back in fear. She had never seen him this reckless before. Scary and stoic as he killed multiple enemy ninja, creepy and threatening; all of this she had seen. But this insane, reckless destruction was new to her. It frightened her that the breakage kept coming closer to her…

…Her and her unborn child.

"Gaara, stop it! Please!" she finally stood up and screamed.

He was startled and dropped the furniture as he turned to her with an angry snarl. She was openly weeping now, and his anger faltered. Ino stood with her feet apart, shoulders set firmly, and her fists clenched tight. But she still looked so… scared.

"Y-You're… You're upsetting the baby!" she said the words with a shaking voice, then ran past him and out of the room.

It went silent, and he no longer found the destruction of the furniture an appealing outlet for his emotions. Gaara let his head drop and sighed deeply. This was not heading off to a good start, and he noted that the elders would not be happy with his redecoration of the room.

"K-Kazekage-sama?" a timid voice asked from one of the doors.

"What?" Gaara spat and could feel the messenger shake even without seeing him.

"We caught the intruder, he came without a fuss," the man explained.

"Take me there," Gaara said and followed the man out of the ruined room.

-x-X-x-

"Do you think he'll take it well?" Shikamaru asked Temari, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"How would you take it if I told you the news she has?" Temari asked and Shikamaru bit his lip in understanding. "… Now imagine that you have his temper."

"One of us should have stayed with her," Chouji voiced what everyone was thinking.

As if to prove his point, there was a thud from the end of the hallway followed by the sounds of crying. Before any of them could react, Ino had appeared and latched onto the front of Chouji's shirt. He blinked in surprise, but slowly shifted his bag of chips away and stroked her hair sympathetically. Shikamaru frowned at the display, and wondered how the man who had been so worried about her during that mission could have caused this.

"I think I'll go deal with him now," Temari said to no one in particular, but patted Ino's shoulder gently as she went by.

"He was s-so c-calm… t-then he got so a-angry…" Ino stuttered, soundly oddly like Hinata in her emotional state.

"Don't worry, you did the right thing by telling him," Shikamaru walked over and patted her back kindly as she clung to Chouji. She nodded slightly and continued to hide her face in her teammate's shirt.

"Eventually he'll calm down," Chouji said. "Would you like to go to the hotel to get some rest?"

"Y-Yes," Ino sniffed and released her hold on Chouji only to have Shikamaru wrap a comforting arm around her as they left the building.

_Meanwhile, in another part of the building…_

"You idiot!" Temari stalked over to Gaara and slapped him, not caring that he was in a meeting. "You just terrorized a pregnant woman!"

The room was silent as Gaara raised a hand to his sore cheek, wearing a somber expression on his face.

"Temari-nee-chan?" Kankuro spoke up and she glared over at his side of the room. "I think you might be giving the captive the wrong idea…"

She blinked and glanced down at the ninja in irons, the supposed intruder Gaara had ordered to be captured. The captive was watching her with wide eyes, and she smiled weakly and backed out of the room.

_Back to the Konoha shinobi…_

Ino leaned on Shikamaru, feeling very tired. The travel had been enough of a toll on her, and this experience only added to her fatigue. Tsunade had explained that she would need to take things easy, as she would not have her old stamina while she was pregnant. That seemed to be very true, as she found herself wondering if either of her teammates would carry her should she fall asleep.

"Ino, you might want to see this…" Shikamaru stopped suddenly, and she looked up to see Chouji struggling with the door. Grains of sand were slowly covering the door and the layer grew thicker as they watched.

"Great, I sent him off the deep end…" she muttered.

"I don't think so…" Chouji said as the sand started to create shapes. Words began to stand out on the door, and they all watched it curiously.

_'Ino… I'm sorry I overreacted,' _it spelled out clearly and went on, _'Please forgive me?_'

"Please…?" a voice said from behind them and they turned around to see Gaara standing there, also looking oddly worn. Ino's eyes widened as the sand returned to his gourd and he waited for a reaction from her.

Shikamaru and Chouji took a step away from her, earning a glare in their direction, but they knew it would help to motivate her. She turned back to Gaara and just watched his expression for a moment, he certainly seemed to be back to what he was before. Lonely and confused.

"It wasn't because of you… It was because of them… I'm sorry you had to see it…"

"I know…" she took a step closer to him, and his expression brightened. "But it's different now…I'm going to be a mother…"

"I know…" his face did not change, if anything it softened ever so slightly. She was careful to watch for any sign of anger, and took another step closer when she saw none. Gaara also stepped closer, and she finally caved in. Ino ran to him and held him tight. New tears of relief sprang from her already tired eyes as Gaara stumbled slightly with the suddenness of her move. He slowly closed his arms around her protectively and let his face tilt down to meet the top of her head.

Her teammates shared a knowing glance and turned to leave her alone with the Kazekage again, though only going to the other side of the door.


	11. The Long Road

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto…

**Author's Note: **_First things first-- HUGE thank you to _**apple.elixir **_who fixed my writer's block. Seriously, most people hated me for making her pregnant but your review was inspiring. Thank you!_

Okay, I know some of you hate me for getting her pregnant. My apologies, I just like to throw in any possible twist. Hate me if you want, detest me if you must, flame me if you need, but you are too weak to change it because I already got you to read 10 chapters first. Ha.

_Chapter 11: The Long Road_

Her teammates soon took her by the shoulders and led her back to their nearby hotel. Even though Gaara had made things right, it had still been a long day for her. Gaara watched them go calmly, with his lie still hanging in the air. Pale eyes expressed nothing as they watched the Konoha shinobi leave, believing that the Kazekage was too busy to walk them to their hotel.

In reality, the Kazekage was too angry to walk them to their hotel.

Temari had been watching from afar, her feminine instincts telling her that Ino would need more support than this but that Gaara was trying. She frowned when she saw the door implode with the force of sand, and Gaara spun on a dime before stalking down the hall and entering the already half-destroyed room. She closed her eyes and heard the tell-tale thuds, cracks and bangs. Kankuro had silently come to stand next to her, and shook his head at the chaos they heard.

"I told you he'd rip the furniture apart," Temari said plainly.

"To be honest, I'm glad you were right about this one," Kankuro said and handed her a few bills before leaving her to count the winnings of their little bet.

Meanwhile, Gaara's mind was continuing to grow confused. So much for understanding. Another arm chair cracked as memories of their bet came back to him. Naruto had shown him that being an outcast could be alright in the end. Ino had shown him that he was not alone. No matter how many people hated him, no matter how many people came after him; he was not alone in the pain he knew. She knew it too.

Now she was having someone else's baby.

How was this supposed to work? Would it even look like her? And whose was it anyways? Somehow, Gaara knew that he would be doing serious harm to the responsible party. Even if the DNA was not Orochimaru, it was his fault. He would pay. No one harmed his Ino and got away with it.

The couch, though already ruined, was crumpled into bits.

…His Ino? When exactly did that happen? Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. This was it, he had long since lost the bet; he could not place when it had happened but Ino had become the person he would fight anyone to protect. He had taken on a majority of Akatsuki while she sat there with him, he had done it to protect her. For some reason, it had been possible then unlike when he had been kidnapped by Deidara.

He sighed and leaned against the nearest wall. Somehow the confusion made sense. _'And hey…' _he thought suddenly. _'…You've at least got her back, worse things could have happened.'_

"So true," he muttered before leaving the desolate room to continue work in his office.

-x-X-x-

Ino sat down on one of the beds in their room and pulled out her bag. With a small sigh she began searching through it's contents and pulled out the vitamins Tsunade had given her. There were still debates about whether she should have an abortion-- with the pregnancy being a result of Orochimaru's holding her captive and all-- but for the moment they planned on taking care of her as well as possible. She still could not believe she was the first of the rookie nine to be having a baby. Somehow, she had always thought it would be Sakura. Funny how things work out.

"Ino, how are you feeling?" Chouji asked as he passed her bed and patted her shoulder kindly.

"Just tired, that's all," she smiled slightly and he returned the gesture. Shikamaru had stayed outside for a moment as Temari had decided to drop by and say hello, leaving his teammates alone.

Ino found herself thinking of the two as brothers more and more now. Her father had become more cold and distant since her return. A warm and concerned hug when at first, naturally, but once her condition had been revealed he seemed almost ashamed. Her mother had put a hand on her face and forced a smile, speaking the sugar-coated words "Everything will be alright." If anything, Ino would do what few missions she could for the time being and try and save the money for the baby.

Shikamaru, Chouji and Asuma-sensei were already promising to help her. Sakura had smiled once the shock wore off and promised to baby-sit. But it was the grandparents Ino worried about. Would a child really be well off in a house where all the smiles were forced?

"Hey Chouji, Ino," Shikamaru poked his head into the room. "Temari says she knows a great BBQ place nearby, feeling up to it?"

Chouji's happiness was evident and Ino laughed in agreement. There are some team traditions you need sometimes.

-x-X-x-

_Back in Konoha…_

Sakura gathered her things and was about to leave the hospital when Shizune had approached her. The assistant had smiled kindly and said Tsunade wanted her to see something before she went home. Sakura said her thanks and stopped by where Tsunade was and saw her with some blood work.

"Shizune-san said you wanted to see me?" Sakura asked and Tsunade beckoned her closer.

"I tried something new… I haven't tried it before but I felt it was necessary in this case," Tsunade explained.

"More with Ino's results?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Yes, we have samples of most blood types of Konoha's natives. This includes Orochimaru. I attempted to isolate the sample from the baby using chakra and look for a match as to the potential father," Tsunade sighed deeply. "Look at these, which one do you think matches best?"

Sakura silently took the samples and compared the one marked as the soon-to-be Yamanaka with the numbered ones Tsunade had given to her. There were two that seemed to match it closest, but the one marked "7" was the one she chose to go with.

"This one," she held up the sample marked with the number seven and Tsunade regarded her silently.

"I thought so too. Peel off the number and see who that is," Tsunade instructed. "You may want to sit down for this."

Sakura looked at her tutor suspiciously but took a seat and peeled off the number. Her eyes doubled in size as the name was revealed.

-x-X-x-

Gaara eventually returned to the interrogation room, where the prisoner was still being held. Knowing whom the prisoner was, he knew he would have some explaining to do after the scene with Temari. He only hoped that Kankuro had not decided to warp the story into epic proportions by the time he got there.

"Alright, where were we?" Gaara walked in and received a cold stare from the captive. "Save the energy for later."

"Sounds like you're the one who should be doing that, aren't you the one who 'terrorized a pregnant woman'?" the captive said, allowing his dark hair to hide the small smirk adorning his lips.

"You're in no position for that kind of talk…"

"My apologize, Kazekage-sama. I'm just wondering who is expecting."

"An old acquaintance of yours I believe… Yamanaka Ino of the Leaf."

The captive raised his head at the name, his eyes seeming to ask a silent question. Gaara answered it with a small nod. The dark hair blocked the man's face once more as he let his head sink down.

"There is something you should know…" he said to Gaara quietly.

-x-X-x-

The group of four found themselves sitting around a table, full of smiles and laughter. Or food, in Chouji's case. It had not been decided who was footing the bill yet, but it was hardly the time for that kind of talk.

"So have you thought about names yet?" Temari asked Ino, who swallowed her drink harder than usual.

"I haven't had much time to think about it, but if it's a girl I've always liked the names Asami or Mikoto," Ino suggested and Temari smiled.

"Well they both sound very pretty," she assured.

"If it's a boy you should name it Naruto," Shikamaru grinned.

"What!" Ino blurted.

"Didn't you hear about that bridge they named after him? You could make it a trend," Shikamaru narrowly avoided a chopstick aimed at his head.

"A nice concept, but I don't think I want to use that name," Ino laughed and shook her head.

"How about Inu--"

"No animal names…" Ino broke in. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have your name actually mean 'boar?' Not a good thing for a kid."

"Especially not one with your temper, they always get the nicknames first," Chouji jumped in and Ino's face turned pink simply from hearing it from him.

The group kept joking around, not noticing a group of people entering the small restaurant and sitting on the opposite side. Ino's laugh dimmed slightly and she felt a small twinge in her stomach. Something did not seem right and her gaze fell upon the group that had just entered. None of the faces were visible, but somehow she knew these were bad people.

"Temari, could you help me find the restroom?" Ino asked, clutching her stomach slightly.

"Oh yeah, morning sickness?" Temari jumped up and took the blonde's shoulders to steady her while Shikamaru mumbled something about 'morning sickness' being a troublesome misnomer. Ino merely nodded in confirmation of Temari's question, but something told her this feeling in her gut was caused by something other than morning sickness.


	12. Strong

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or Ino, or Gaara…But I have an Ino cosplay outfit and I DO own a little Gaara figurine, it is my precious….

**Author's Note: **Another quick update, I'm back baby! HA! But I still can't believe this thing is twelve chapters now… Oh yeah, and Ino's normal-ness about the baby name. She's acting very weird since this whole pregnancy started, as you will see soon.

_Chapter 12: Strong_

Gaara walked out of the interrogation room, after ordering the captive to be released on the border of the country. His thoughts drifted back to the last part of their conversation…

_…'Let him go,' Gaara had instructed and turned to leave the room._

_'That's it? You're not going to do anything with me? Aren't you allied with Konoha?' the captive questioned him and Gaara stared at him blankly over his shoulder._

_'We are,' he said. 'And if you disturb Konoha or the Sand again, our next meeting will not be so pleasant. I owe you this one'…_

The Kazekage had not missed the confused look on his advisor's faces, as well as the look on his brother's face. Usually he used captives and traitors as an excuse to exercise the bloodlust that occasionally leaked through. He had his reasons for setting this one free, and he hoped that he would not soon regret it.

-x-X-x-

Shikamaru sat silently with Chouji as they waited for the women to return from the restroom. He had assumed his usual thinking pose and had tuned out the sound of Chouji eating. Ino had developed morning sickness awfully fast, it was too soon for that to be happening. He studied the table as the thought of what had happened right before she had felt ill. Brief images leaked into his mind, shedding little light on the situation.

One image froze in his mind, and continued to replay itself. Ino had stared at something, and her face had gone slightly pale. She had looked directly over his left shoulder. Shikamaru blinked and turned to look where she had stared, breaking his pose. Sure enough, he also felt a chill when his eyes fell on the group of dark figures. And he did not even have a woman's intuition.

"What is it?" Chouji asked, knowing his friend had been thinking deeply.

"Something about the guys over there--" Shikamaru turned back around to face his friend. "-- seems very troublesome."

"It's like a dark cloud followed them in," Chouji commented.

"Exactly…" Shikamaru trailed off and noticed the two girls returning. Ino had regained her color, and Temari walked with her calmly. Shikamaru's view was soon blocked by someone standing directly in front of him.

"Hey, you're leaf shinobi," the man in his view commented, a lazy smile on his face and his light hair making him seem out of place.

"Hey, you noticed," Shikamaru shifted in his seat, his head band obvious on his arm and Chouji's very obviously adorning his head. The man still smiled and stayed right where he was. Only when Temari grunted loudly did he turn away and see the two females.

"Ah! A leaf kunoichi! How lovely!" the man beamed at Ino, who raised an eyebrow at him before going to take her seat next to Chouji.

"What, you've never seen one?" she muttered.

"No, I haven't, and I'd love to see one in action," he said cheerfully. "Care to spar?"

The whole group's gaze turned to Ino, who gave the man a curious look-- like she was sizing him up. She finally smiled and tilted her head to the side, saying simply, "Bring it on."

Shikamaru felt his eye develop a twitch.

-x-X-x-

"Tsunade-sama, we have to tell her," Sakura pleaded with her teacher, having long since forgotten about going home. The Hokage had taken a seat at a desk and had her hands clasped beneath her chin.

"You've known her longest. How do you think she would take it?" Tsunade asked plainly, and Sakura fell silent. She honestly did not know. Ino had changed so much in the last few months, especially after the whole incident with Orochimaru. Sakura found herself wishing she could be with Ino right now, just making sure that her best friend was all right.

"In the end, we may have to ask her to abort," Tsunade admitted.

"What? But why? Just because the baby will be a--"

"And what if Orochimaru did something else with the DNA? Something we don't know about, or anticipate?" Tsunade said and Sakura bit her lip. Sakura studied the ground, letting her rosy locks block out the world around her.

"…Who is going to tell her? If we do, that is."

"I was thinking about that," Tsunade sighed and looked to the side as though she were looking out a window. "I thought either you or Asuma."

Sakura looked up at Tsunade and a look over determination overcame her features. "I'll do it, as soon as she comes home."

-x-X-x-

"Ino, are you nuts? You're in no condition for this!" Temari was still pleading with her as they all followed the man to where he wanted to spar.

"And how can you judge that? I've got some time before I can't get a decent work out in," Ino retorted and continued to look ahead as they went.

"We have no clue what this guy is like Ino…" Shikamaru pointed out, but received no response.

"Let her be, this is at least something we can help her with if we need to," Chouji said to his friend, earning a small glare from the determined blonde.

The man was still leading the way and stopped at a clearing of sand near the forest. It was clearly the edge of the town, and even Temari seemed to be studying the area with interest. He stopped on the far side of it, and Ino stepped forward to face him.

"I believe this is where we state our names and make our rules," he said.

"You're the challenger, you first," she said clearly. He smirked at her from across the clearing.

"My name is Kapatchi Kin. I say we allow all taijutsu, genjutsu, etc."

"I am Yamanaka Ino. I agree with your terms," she smirked and took a fighting pose while Kin did the same.

"I don't like this…" Temari muttered and Shikamaru placed a comforting hand on her back. Chouji had not touched his store of potato chips. Ino was surveying Kin's stance and debating what could be done against him. Taijutsu would be the best to start with, and it would give her a chance to see what she was up against. She was not taking it very seriously, after all, it was just a spar.

Kin charged first, and Ino tensed. Right before he made contact, she was gone. Her friends could see him blink in surprise and go to jump up, only to be slammed into the ground with a kick from above. She jumped away as Kin rolled over and went to throw three kunai at her. Like in her match against Sakura, she dodged one, caught another and used it to fend off the third. Kin seemed impressed, and charged once more. She grinned and got down on one knee. He had obviously never heard of her clan before, as he was coming in a straight line at her.

"I don't believe this…" Shikamaru said quietly. Kin stopped mid run and fell limp as Ino's body drooped. She had managed to possess him. Kin's body straightened as Ino's mind worked out her control. They watched carefully as she attempted to make him go for a tree to climb up, then jump from head first.

Then Kin's body started spasming.

One hand pulled out a kunai and went to stab the other hand, but the free hand had flown up to stop it. The body doubled over and shook. Temari jumped and leaned forward with wide eyes as they watched the body fight itself. Finally, the two hands met and Ino released her technique. Her body reanimated and she jumped up in fright.

"What kind of a mess do you have in that head of yours?" she cried out and Kin turned to her with a weak smile.

"Someday, you'll see this pain that is in my life," he smirked and got up, brushing himself off lightly. Ino stared back at him with wide eyes, her friends seeing that it had finally dawned on her that this guy was a total mystery to them.

"Heh, why would I want your pain?" she spat back at him and took her pose again. 'I've got enough of my own for now…'

"Ino, watch your back!" Temari shouted and Ino narrowly avoided an onslaught of weapons. She stared at him in disbelief. Kin had not even moved. Had he created a clone somewhere? She needed to end this, and end it quickly. Her stomach had started to tighten uncomfortably, and it was not a feeling she appreciated.

_Meanwhile… _

"Hey Gaara," Kankuro said as he stared out of the office's only window. "There's someone sparring on the edge of town again."

"Genin or what?" Gaara barely looked up as he asked his brother.

"Chuunin, at least," Kankuro sounded impressed and Gaara made a non-committal noise.

_Back to the spar…_

Ino had three kunai in each hand, ready to strike as she tried desperately to plan ahead. She was never one for strategy, that was why she was in a cell with Shikamaru. Kin also drew out three kunai and smirked at her knowingly. Then it struck her: Shikamaru. She had been training with him for how many years now? There was at least one thing she must have learned just by watching over the years.

She charged at Kin, the plan slowly forming in her mind as she went. Kin mimicked her and seemed to be doing the same as her. Ino hid a smirk as he fell for her exact plan.

"She does pay attention…" Shikamaru sounded annoyed. Temari raised an eyebrow at him and he pointed at the ground. As Temari looked on, Ino's shadow trapped Kin. The man was surprised, to say the least, and Ino allowed him to stand up.

"I'd like to see that day she uses mine," Chouji smiled.

"Wouldn't we all…"Shikamaru held back a laugh.

"How did you do that?" Kin asked.

"I learned from a friend," she shrugged her-- or rather, their-- shoulders. "And I also learned this last part as well."

"Oh, and what wo--" Kin began but was cut off when Ino mimicked Shikamaru's move from the preliminary matches of the first Chuunin exam; she made Kin's head connect with the tree behind him as hard as possible.

Ino sighed once the man fell and began to walk away, not seeing the looks on Shikamaru and Temari's faces. This time Chouji made a sound and she turned around.

_The Kazekage's office…_

"Gaara, you may want to see this…" Kankuro trailed off, sounding stunned. Gaara looked up this time, since the utterance had followed a thud that usually meant the end of a spar. A female scream was what made him jump up from his seat and go over to the window.

Down below, was a group that was easily recognizable. Ino was one of the ones sparring, and now found herself being pulled back by the hair. Gaara had to restrain himself from instantly raising the sand around the area and squashing the attacker. The only reason he held back was the fact that it was _her _spar, and that she had three people right there for back up. Still, he felt the urge to harm this person radiating from his insides. Kankuro took a step away from his brother.

Sure enough, Ino had used the substitution technique to get out of this one. She was missing for a moment before appearing behind the man, pinning both of his arms and holding a kunai to his throat. Gaara's bloodlust lessened and was replaced by another feeling, one less easily interpreted. Kankuro took another step away from his brother.

"Why did you want to spar?" Ino asked, despite the man's attempts to squirm underneath her.

"Because… You're form the Leaf…" Kin said, pain evident in his voice.

"That can't be all…" she emphasized her point by creating a shallow cut on the side of his neck.

"I-I was s-sent…" Kin continued. "To look for y-you specifically…" Ino waited for him to go on, still holding him as tightly as possible. She felt her stomach tighten again, and somehow she knew something was wrong. She glanced up at her friends and saw a look of understanding suddenly dawn on Shikamaru's face. Before he could say it, she rolled off of Kin and jumped away.

A second later, a kunai flew through, right where her stomach had been.


	13. Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I can't even spar…

**Author's Note: **Ok, a few pointed out that Ino was not freaking out enough. You're right, sorry about that guys! Well Merry Christmas and happy new years!

And yes Teef, the gift of updation hits! Hehe…

**Chapter 13: Hide and Seek**

_"I-I was s-sent…" Kin continued. "To look for y-you specifically…" Ino waited for him to go on, still holding him as tightly as possible. She felt her stomach tighten again, and somehow she knew something was wrong. She glanced up at her friends and saw a look of understanding suddenly dawn on Shikamaru's face. Before he could say it, she rolled off of Kin and jumped away._

_A second later, a kunai flew through, right where her stomach had been._

"What the hell's going on down there?" Kankuro yelled. Gaara made no response and instead settled for gripping the ledge more tightly. She wanted to prove her own strength, right? She could do this.

Kankuro stepped away from his brother, feeling the mixed emotions rolled with a wish for blood radiating from the Kazekage.

"Get someone down there," Gaara finally said quietly. "Have them claim there's a new policy against sparring outside of designated areas. Kankuro went quickly without question while Gaara continued to stare out the window.

_At the spar…_

Temari immediately jumped in front of Ino protectively and sent a gust of wind flying after the new attacker. Ino pulled out a few weapons, but found her friends had formed a circle around her. Apparently, she was once again the weakling to be protected. Ino groaned inwardly but let them stay surrounding her.

Kin had hopped up, nursing a sore arm as he went, and was accompanied by three more ninja dressed in black. Shikamaru and Temari shared a glance, and Shikamaru dashed into the bushes to the side with Chouji covering the side he had vacated. Ino fought to control her breathing, she was on the verge of screaming. Why had she been so stupid? She was in no shape for this. It was only a little while ago Gaara had gone psycho on her, and now she had pulled them all into this mess.

She really was weak after all.

"Sorry girls," Kin said, ignoring Chouji's angry snort. "But this is where it ends."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Temari spat and unleashed another blast of wind. Kin was pushed back several feet, but the others barely moved. Ino's eyes widened as she saw them still coming once the winds had ceased.

But then they suddenly stopped, and they could see Shikamaru standing behind the group. A smirk slowly blossomed on his face, as Chouji quickly went into his technique and made to run the group over. Temari and Ino stepped back when Shikamaru let the group loose just as Chouji was ready to run them over.

But it was a few seconds too soon.

Ino screamed when someone grabbed her from behind and held a kunai to her throat. Temari spun around ready to attack, but she received a blow to the stomach from another hand. Soon she was thrown against a tree and pinned with several shuriken. Another deflated Chouji and proceeded to drive him away from the girls. Shikamaru had been slammed to the ground from behind.

The blonde slammed an elbow into the man holding her and flipped him over her when he winced from the blow. She launched her arsenal at him, only to see he'd used the substitution technique. Suddenly she was punched from the side, she could feel bone break beneath the blow to her cheekbone.

Her stomach tightened again, a new instinct welled up inside of her. She now carried a life, a strong and important life. She would defend it no matter what. She could be strong.

Using the backwards momentum, Ino planted a leg in the ground to spin and deliver a roundhouse kick. He caught her leg easily and went to stab her stomach with a kunai. Panic surged through her mind and she blocked with her left arm. The kunai pierced it, and hit a nerve, rendering her arm motionless. Temari screamed for Ino to run, but it was too late as the man threw the girl to the ground. Time slowed down as Ino watched him stand over her and draw a sword, somehow he knew and he was going to end the life within her.

But… Would that really be so bad? Was she cut out to be a mother? Besides, what if it was some monster? She might not be able to handle it. It seemed she couldn't do anything right, would this be another disaster?

Instinct drove the doubt away, and Ino brought her legs up to kick him away. He flew back and landed a the foot of the tree Temari was pinned against. Ino took a deep breath, but it was short lived. Two more of the men now charged at her, and she was already too weak to drive off two at once, not to mention her useless arm. She threw kunai with her good arm to slow them, but it failed. They just came faster.

One went for her stomach, the other went to hold her down. Ino gritted her teeth; she could afford to lose use of a leg too. She rolled to kick the man away from her gut, and to hamstring the other with a kunai. Ino connected with the kunai, but the other dodged and went to come at her from another angle. It was too late, she couldn't do anything now. Ino squinted her eyes closed and held her good arm against her stomach.

But then there was a flash of black and red.

She opened her eyes and saw the splash of red on her clothes, but it was not her blood. The man she had rendered unable to walk now cried out and tried to crawl away while the other fell limp and lifeless to the ground. Ino realized there was someone standing over her, holding the bloody sword causing her clothes to be dyed red. The men holding her companions had vanished, probably already fallen to the one standing above her.

Chouji and Shikamaru had been helping Temari down form the tree, but they all stopped to stare at Sasuke Uchiha as he stood over Ino.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked as he turned to look at her and step away.

"I'm just doing a good deed," was all he would say as he sheathed his sword, his dark eyes as unreadable as chunks of coal. Chouji walked over and helped Ino to her feet, being careful of her bad arm.

"That can't be all," Ino narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha. He would not raise his eyes to meet hers.

"I don't know that I should be the one to tell you," he sighed and began to walk away from them. Ino's eyes stayed on his back as he left, wondering why he had ever left Konoha if he still had the heart to defend his old friends.

"You're a coward," Ino yelled after him, causing him to stop abruptly. "You'll never be anything more than that if you keep running away. Why even bother with us?"

He said nothing, but stayed where he was as he thought it over. Shikamaru placed a hand on Ino's shoulder, but she brushed it away.

"No wonder the Uchihas all died, they turn their back on their friends," she hissed and turned to go back towards the village.

"You're not my friends," Sasuke's irritated voice rang through the clearing, causing even Ino to pause. "I saved you because it's my baby."

Ino had barely done more than gasp in shock before he had vanished.

**A/N: **Short chapter, I know, but it was a good place to leave off! Please R&R!


	14. Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I do not own Gaara, it would seem that I believe Ino does.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you guys rock! And remember in this first scene, I really am keeping it PG 13!

_Chapter 14: Shadows_

Gaara was lying in bed, eyes wide open and in the full grip of his insomnia. All that played through his mind had been the scene of Ino's spar earlier that week. She had been sleeping for two days now. Why did it have to be that Uchiha who saved her? He grumbled and rolled over, remembering how Ino had yelled at him. Sasuke disappeared moments later—knowing well that if the Kazekage's guards had caught him he would be captured again.

But Uchiha had said something to Ino, something quiet yet powerful.

And Ino had fainted dead away.

That bastard must have told her, what else explained it? Gaara remembered finally seeing enough and leaving the window. The guards would bring Ino and her friend's back safely, but Ino would need a doctor so he sent for help from Konoha. He had forced himself to leave while she was checked, Gaara didn't want to know whether or not Uchiha's baby was alright. Just Ino. Was he really being all that selfish? He just was not used to the idea that Ino had been… violated, somehow.

Somewhere in the room, sand shattered a glass vase and sent the desert flowers spilling onto the floor.

The door creaked open slightly and a beam of light fell across his face. Gaara squinted in the sudden light and sat up slightly to look. His eyes widened as he took in Ino's silhouette, clad in a silky nightgown.

"Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see you," she glided across the room and sat on the bed, leaning over him with a splay of hair tickling his forehead. "So I snuck out and changed into something more comfortable…"

Ino trailed off and brought her lips to his in a tender embrace. His hand automatically slid around her hips and the other up into her hair. She let him untie her ponytail and run his fingers through the free tresses as she deepened their liplock.

Gaara laid down slowly and brought her with him before slowly rolling to the side so that he found himself on top of her. She let out a girlish giggle, and he felt the animal within growl with desire. Gaara broke the kiss and instead massaged her collarbone with his lips. She purred contently and ran her fingernails down his back. He brought a hand up to her shoulder and slowly slid it down the curves of her body.

He jumped back as he reached her stomach, and hurriedly backed away from the bed. She sat up and stared at him in annoyance. But she couldn't sit up all the way—her stomach was the size it should be nine months from now.

"Gaara?"

He didn't reply, he just watched as she walked over to him and he found himself blocked into a corner. Her eyes were questioning, his were panicked.

"Gaara, don't you want me? Don't you love me?" Ino pressed into him again, the first thing he felt was her pregnant belly. Gaara wanted to scream.

And he did.

He woke up with a violent start, horrified that he had actually slept and had such a strange dream. He quickly pressed his hands against his face, feeling for signs that Shukaku had been released. With a deep breath, Gaara relaxed and slumped down. It was a dream after all.

"Gaara-kun?" he turned and saw Ino sit up next to him. When did she get there? In the darkness she leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder to soothe him. It felt like ice. "Gaara, what's wrong?"

Her face was lit up in the pale moonlight, and his eyes widened. Deep gashes were obvious across her features, and he didn't have to see the rest of her to know her whole body was covered in deep gashes. Not just any gashes, the kind Shukaku always left.

Gaara cried out and fell out of the bed.

His head connected with the hard floor, and his eyes snapped open. Like he had just woken up. Woken up… Thank god it was all a dream. He cautiously glanced around for any sign of an Ino apparition and slowly got up from the ground. Gaara went through his room and turned on a few lights before getting dressed again. No way he was going to 'rest his eyes' after that.

Gaara found himself heading towards the medical wing, to check on Ino. The doctor wouldn't be there, so she would be asleep. Someone might as well keep an eye on her. The wing was silent, and she was sleeping soundly just as he had guessed. He took a seat across from her bed and crossed his arms.

She had exhausted herself in the spar. Adrenaline had provided her finally energy boost, but no one could figure out why Ino had been so keen on a battle in the first place.

Gaara blamed that damned bet they made years ago.

The blonde barely moved as she lay there in that stiff hospital bed, the only movement was her chest rising and falling. His eyes roved over the bandages covering her, particularly her temporarily useless arm. If his guards had been on time, she would have two good arms right now. Threats and punishments would be dealt out later on. Their doctors had only been able to do so much for her, and so the Konoha medic was needed. They could patch her up as neatly as could be, they could treat the broken bones, but when it came to bizarre pregnancies they left that to the upper end medics.

Her bruises were still very visible and looked even more painful in the dim light. Gaara noted those she had obtained in a desperate measure to protect her stomach. Was she so intent on keeping the baby? He sighed deeply. As much as he wanted to, there would never be a way to keep her from having Uchiha's child. Hadn't she been fighting with Sakura over the right to bear his children for years? It was ridiculous.

Ino groaned slightly and made to turn over. Gaara quickly went to her side when she gasped in pain as she tried to roll onto her bad arm. Her eyes opened lazily and she slowly focused on Gaara's face as he sat on her bed to the left of her.

"Welcome back," he murmured.

"I feel like I've been run over by half of Konoha…" she muttered and tried to sit up. He pushed her back down when the movement made her wince. She just stared back up at him and settled back into the hospital bed. Ino's eyes seemed to shine more in the dim light, or perhaps he just hadn't seen her looking at him that way in so long.

"So… It was Sasuke…" she finally broke the silence and looked away.

"Yes… He told me…" Gaara grunted. "Any idea how it might've happened?"

"They kept me so drugged…" she choked up and a tear slid down her cheek, something that hadn't happened since she saw the look on her father's face when he found out she was pregnant. Inoichi had not made eye contact with his daughter since he heard the news. Her mother barely spoke to her.

Ino was not supposed to be a submissive captive, they thought. This was not supposed to happen to their little flower. She was a disappointment to her father, and now her mother had a reason to believe the girls were only supposed to work in the flower shop. The silence was torture, she knew they looked down on her. Ino sometimes thought she would prefer them yelling at her.

She was startled by the feeling of Gaara wiping away her tears with his thumb. Ino stared up at him once again and he leaned back, bringing his face out of the shadows. It surprised her that, even now, no one would understand her the way he did. He had been a captive of Akatsuki, what had they done to him?

"Ino, why keep it? Is this all worth it?" He could not help but ask. Ino felt as though she'd been hit, slapped right across the face. Why was this so hard to understand?

"Gaara…" she shook her head and placed her good hand on her abdomen. "There's something alive inside of me… I can't just kill it…"

It was the truth, she had been thinking it over. She would not give up her baby, it was a part of her now. Even if it was Sasuke's, even if Orochimaru wanted it to destroy Konoha somehow, she couldn't kill it. If it were some kind of a monster, she would go down with it.

She blinked up at Gaara through her watery eyes. That was it, wasn't it? His mother died giving birth to him, he had grown up being told she had hated him for it. Is this how Gaara saw her predicament?

"Even if it kills me," she said, swallowing hard, "I will give this life a chance at living."

Now Gaara was hit by the circumstances. She just wanted it to live, she wanted her baby to live. In the two days she had spent sleeping, Shikamaru had produced her medical records and so Gaara knew that according to the blood tests this baby was truly hers. Ino would be able to see herself in that child, but if Gaara wanted to stay he would have to face the reality that he would never see himself in that child.

He would only see Sasuke.

Or would he?

An idea struck the Kazekage, it was so sudden that he stood up abruptly and was halfway to the door before Ino's voice woke him from the daze he was in.

"Where are you going?" she was asking, looking lonely and confused.

"I need to… research… something," he said and started to go again.

"Wait!" she called out, and he turned back to see her sitting upright in bed. Blonde hair was all around her and tangled, blue eyes screamed for him to meet them. "Please Gaara… I don't want to be alone…Just until I fall asleep?"

He blinked in surprise and nodded slightly. He went back around to her left side as she carefully scooted over to make room for him. Gaara carefully pushed one of her hairs out of her eyes as he lay down on the bed next to her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she slid her good hand up to take one of his into her own. His fingers curled tightly around hers, and he could feel her warm breathing relax with his presence.

Of course she was scared, she barely knew this place. No one was around. Gaara moved his head to try and find a more comfortable spot. As long as she needed him here, he would be here.

XXX

"No," Sakura said firmly, an even unrelenting tone.

"Sakura, you have to," Tsunade crossed her arms. "No one else can do it."

"That is NOT true, you or Shizune could do it. Probably better than I could," Sakura retorted, using every ounce of her strength to hide the emotion in her voice. The Hokage had called Kakashi and Naruto to her office as moral support for her student. Naruto already had a hand on Sakura's shoulder to keep her calm.

"This is a danger to all of us, this could change everything," Tsunade's tone was steadily increasing, as did the intensity of her glare.

"Tsunade-sama—"

"We have no idea what is in store for us—"

"Tsunad—"

"Lives are at stake—"

"I can't do that to _Sasuke's_ baby!!!" Sakura finally screamed, the force of her outburst making even Naruto step back. Silent tears flowed freely from her eyes as she stared down the Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama…" Naruto spoke in a rare moment of seriousness. "She's been through a lot lately… Give her a break…"

Kakashi was the one to place a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder this time, Naruto took over staring down the Hokage as Sakura closed her eyes tightly.

"Fine," Tsunade said finally. "Sakura, you'll go to the Sand to take care of your friend. Shizune will take care of the procedure when you all return."

------  
A/N: Like InoGaara? Check out **"A Flower That Never Wilts" by marise-chan**. 73 reviews for just one chapter so far; she rocks, ne?


	15. Tainted

**Disclaimer: **This is the fifteenth chapter… I hope you know I don't own anything by now…

**Author's Note: **Okay, I'm going to ask for a reader's poll-- Should the baby be a boy, a girl? I'm pretty torn...

_Chapter 15: Tainted_

Tsunade rested her forehead on the bar, feeling the warmth left from her hands seeping into her face. It was a rare occasion; after a bad day at work Jiraiya had asked her to have a drink with him. For once, she had accepted his offer.

Mainly, because this was a particularly bad day.

"Tsunade, why would you ask her that?" he asked quietly, downing another sake as he did.

She didn't have to ask who, or what, he was talking about. How could she ask a student to betray two people she loved? Sakura was Ino's friend, and she had never completely forgotten Sasuke. But at the same time, the baby was a threat. An unfortunate fact, even though it was still truly Ino's baby.

"We both know what this all could mean," she finally admitted, effectively silencing him for the time being. She couldn't fully answer his question; Sakura needed to be prepared for experiences like this. Times when Shizune and Tsunade couldn't cover for her.

Because those times _always_ hurt like hell.

"Have you researched what else could be done?" Jiraiya asked and she lifted her face from the bar to drink another sake.

"Based on what got Orochimaru kicked out of Akatsuki--" she shuddered at the very thought, "-- we could guess. But at the same time, none of it makes sense with why he would use Sasuke's DNA."

"Do you remember that time we had lunch before the Waterfall Country mission?" Jiraiya suggested, causing Tsunade to raise her brown eyes to his, realization dawning across her features.

_They had been eating the separately packed lunches, each having made their own despite Jiraiya's protests that the woman should support the men and make them all. Bruises were still evident where he had been slapped. _

_"Why don't we ever use biological exploding tags?" the young snake had asked, causing his teammates to choke on their lunches. _

_"Are you kidding?" Tsunade had looked incredulous. _

_"Think about it," he had swallowed another bite of food. "Surgically implant a tag, and should any harm come to the insides it will explode. You could do anything, and should it be reversed the doctors and the patient will die."_

_Tsunade and Jiraiya had lost their appetites, each silently asking the other what was wrong with the third member of their team._

"You don't think…." Tsunade trailed off, a hand slowly covering her mouth as the shock hit her.

"It's possible… For some reason, he wants a third Uchiha to be born…" Jiraiya drank more sake, Tsunade did as well.

"Sasuke didn't kill his best friend, but he went to Orochimaru anyway," Tsunade thought aloud. "I bet he's hoping for a better vessel next time…"

"That bastard…"

"Yeah…"

XXX

Ino was walking down the hallway with her friends, well, being led was more like. Fatigue turned out to be the main symptom of her pregnancy, and so she had been bed-ridden for days. Now that she insisted on walking, Chouji had her hands and was walking in front of her backwards. Shikamaru and Temari were on either side of her, ready should she so much as stumble.

Gaara was the one watching the door, the Konoha medic was supposed to show up today. Instead, the area was totally silent. A few mosquitoes buzzed by, trying to find the next source of blood.

There were several squishing sounds. Gaara's sand found the bugs first.

After taking his annoyance out on the insects, Kankuro walked through the door and was followed by the medic. None other than Sakura Haruno was there, Gaara casually covered the book he was reading when she stepped closer.

"Where's Ino?" Sakura wanted to know.

"Slowly but surely coming down this hall," Gaara answered, indicating the direction of the medical wing. Sakura went towards her friend without another word. Gaara's eyes closed as Ino's happy squeal echoed down the hallway.

XXX

"Shizune, we're--" Tsunade hiccupped as she instructed her assistant after returning from the bar, "-- not going to do the termination for Ino."

"But, why not?" Shizune looked puzzled.

"Jiraiya remembered something I had…. overlooked, the procedure is too dangerous," Tsunade sighed, then hiccupped as she sank into a chair.

"Tsunade-sama… did you tell Sakura before she left?"

The two women stared at each other, eyes widening.

XXX

With much persuasion, Ino was guided back to her bed in the hospital wing. Sakura had ushered the group out of the room, since she would be doing a rather in depth check up on her friend.

"I'm glad it's you , Sakura-chan," Ino murmured, and grunted slightly with Sakura's prodding.

"Why's that?" Sakura began a series of hand signs so that she could look at the baby with a kind of chakra ultrasound.

"Well, I'd just rather be opened up by you than Tsunade… I at least know you…" Ino fell silent as Sakura's touch settled and the medic closed her eyes to peek inside.

"Sakura… You know…"

"You don't need to say it…" Sakura said, eyes still closed in concentration as she moved her hands over Ino's belly. "… Tsunade's blood test told us all we needed to know."

"I'm sorry…" Ino spoke so quietly that Sakura had to open her eyes and see the silent tears on Ino's face.

She pulled back and cut the flow of chakra to her hands, Ino barely noticed. Sakura watched her friend, she could see easily how much pain this whole ordeal was putting her through. Would it be easier? What Tsunade wanted to do… It was the safest option for Ino as well as everyone. No one knew what would be born in a few months. While it was completely healthy, there's no telling what it would grow into. Or what the birth would do to Ino.

Ino hadn't noticed Sakura doing most of the exam, would she be able to tell if the pregnancy was 'accidentally' terminated?

XXX

Shizune had gone to the most reliable, fastest messenger she knew--the local falconry station. She walked in, the owner nodding to her as she went. Her favorite, a bird she called Koko, nipped her gently as she passed. Tsunade's message was placed safely in the bird's talons, and off Koko sped to deliver the instructions to Sakura.

"Please be quick, Koko…" Shizune murmured and bowed her head to offer a small prayer.

XXX

Gaara stashed his book in the bottom drawer of his desk, and began to wander down the hallway. It was hard enough dealing with this whole pregnancy…thing… but now Ino was being given an exam, and he'd been stupid enough to say he'd rather not be in the room with her.

If he'd known how much chakra would be filling the building for just an exam, he would have happily joined her rather than stand alone wondering what the hell was going on.

As Gaara neared the medical wing, he felt a waver in the chakra. The disturbance sent a wave of dread over him, and he started walking faster.

XXX

Ino lay there motionlessly, her eyes glazed over. Sakura had seen this before in other patients, usually rape victims. It reflected a state of disassociation with the pregnancy, a lack of connection with the life growing inside.

Sakura felt her stomach twist into an irreversible knot as she made her choice, for the sake of her friend she started doing the needed hand signs.

Ino was so disconnected that she did not even feel the tear drop onto her thigh.

XXX

"Gaara? I don't think you can go in th--" Temari began as her brother passed, he ignored her and burst through the doors to the hospital wing.

He let the doors swing closed again as Sakura slowly registered his presence. Ino blinked a few times before registering his presence.

"Gaara-kun? I thought you didn't want to be here," she said, sitting up slightly and causing Sakura to stop the medical technique.

"Before the chakra vanishes, look at what color it is," he told Ino. She looked puzzled but turned to Sakura's hands, which were encircled by a fading black chakra.

Ino felt her insides go icy. She knew just enough medical jutsu to realize that was a termination technique, used to remove small pieces of unwanted tissue. Sakura stared up at her in shock--because she'd been caught or because she'd done the unthinkable?--and her hands started to shake.

"Sakura-chan?…" Ino felt her eyes well with tears, and Gaara lifted her from the bed, pulling down her hospital gown and backing away from Sakura.

"Please, wait," Sakura got off of the bed where she had been examining Ino and tried to follow. A wall of sand stopped her dead in her path and Gaara's glare sank into her.

"Sakura Haruno, as long as you are in my village you will not come within twenty paces of this girl," Gaara commanded and left the medic alone in the medical wing.

Ino was shaken, but could not explain whether she was relieved Gaara had saved her or wished Sakura had just told her so she could give the go ahead. Gaara carried her to a place she had not been before, and it looked like it had not been used recently.

By the time she realized it was an apartment, Gaara had set her down on a large bed covered in maroon sheets. She sat up with her legs crossed beneath her, the hospital gown covering her just enough.

"Where are we?" Ino asked.

"My living quarters; they give me my own apartment close to the office for the busy days… Which tends to be everyday."

She smiled slightly at this and looked down at the sheets. Gaara stayed carefully on the other side of the room, as if feeling she needed privacy but not wanting to leave entirely. Ino pulled her knees up, settling her arms there and burying her face.

"Why?" Ino sobbed softly. "Why can't anyone just tell me what's going on?"

At this Gaara immediately sat next to her on the bed, seeming to decide whether or not to reach out for her, to hold her. She sniffed and turned to him, wrapping herself around him when he would not make the first move.

He said nothing, but slowly moved his hand to start rubbing her back. Her sobs slowed down with his comforting, until finally she was able to sit up and look him in the eye.

"She's never been like this before…" Ino mumbled. "I just don't get it…"

"Maybe… The Hokage…" Gaara said slowly and Ino's eyes widened. He did not look at her until he heard her shaking with sobs, a sound that wrenched sympathy from him despite how often she had been crying recently. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, she buried her face in his chest and relaxed.

"Gaara?…" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "… Run away with me?"

-------

**A/N: **Please send ideas for this story, I'm running out as I gag on the cheesiness…


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